'What’s great is that it’s a local resource, I don’t have to drive to Dublin'

With the support of Waterford’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO), Irene Queally nurtured to life her very own baby food company, Pip & Pear.

The healthy, chilled baby food brand was born in 2014 after entrepreneur Irene Queally tried and tested numerous different life skills and passions in fashion and psychotherapy.

It was only after the arrival of her second baby, however, that Irene’s lightbulb moment for Pip & Pear occurred,

“I had been batch-cooking for my two children for the week ahead and though I’ve always loved cooking, I just thought there must be an easier way. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t find good food, gently cooked with no additives – a proper dinner like you’d make yourself.”

The idea played on her mind while her husband’s restaurant gave her the perfect place to develop it.

“It’s a family restaurant called No.9 and after it closed I’d go in to work on recipes, all organic, using the best of the best, which I started putting on the restaurant menu during the day.”

And it wasn’t just the tots who enjoyed Irene’s tasty feeds. Gaining mums’ approval was key for this business’ success,

“The fact that they were a proper dinner you’d make yourself at home really resonated with mums.

"When people started asking if they could buy some to take home, I knew I was onto something.”

Meeting with LEO representatives in 2015 granted Irene the moral and financial support to further develop her business.

Additional funding in 2016 from LEO Waterford allowed Irene to employ others, enabling her to go out and pitch the brand to supermarket buyers.

Getting a place on shelves marked a huge step in her chilled baby foods journey.

With effective social media marketing, Pip & Pear is now found in supermarkets nationwide.

In early 2018, Irene proved her idea’s worth once again, as she secured an export assistance grant, allowing her to attend a private label manufacturers’ trade event in Amsterdam.

She also received funding under the LEO Innovation and Investment Fund, which she is investing in creating a healthy baby snacks range.

Reflecting on her journey with LEO, Irene believes in the power of local support and investment.

“I’ve availed of really great, low cost training courses for staff on everything from marketing to food labelling. Local Enterprise Office Waterford put us forward for a National Enterprise Award too, and winning our regional final was a huge prize for us. What’s great is that it’s a local resource, I don’t have to drive to Dublin to get it,” she says.

See www.pipandpear.ie for more.

LEO offers similar assistance to small businesses at any stage in their development, according to Jacqui Gaule, senior enterprise development officer at Local Enterprise Office Waterford.

Whether it is mentoring, networking and soft-skills training, or financial support, LEO has something to offer every small business.

A feasibility study grant can help with market research or developing a prototype.

Business priming grant assists with salaries or capital expenditure in the crucial first 18 months, while business expansion grants can help fund growth for a business that is in operation for more than 18 months.

LEOs are for life too, not just for start-ups.

“Sometimes we find people who have already established think it’s too late to come to their Local Enterprise Office, or may just feel they are getting by on their own, but there’s always something we can offer to help,” says Jacqui. “If someone has an idea, they can come in and talk to us and we can help put structure on it and offer guidance.”

See www.localenterprise.ie/makingithappen