‘badly made books’ - supported by Local Enterprise Office, Cork City - is a book factory and print studio based in Togher. The business designs and makes recycled paper stationery and supplies their Irish-made notebook, diaries, gift cards and calendars, containing a minimum of 75% recycled material, to over 100 shops around the country. They also create bespoke products for other businesses. www.badlymadebooks.com
The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) will see over 30 small businesses from across the country take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to almost 300,000 prospective customers across the 3 days of the event.
Speaking ahead of this month’s event, Seán O’Sullivan, Founder and Design Directorof ‘badly made books’ is excited to be participating in one of Ireland’s biggest events ….”It’s a great opportunity to meet new customers and showcase our product to new potential markets. The Ploughing Championships is a major event every year, the first thing one might write in their diary for the year ahead, and hopefully that diary will be a’ badly made book’ in 2024! We are delighted to represent LEO Cork City at this year’s Local Enterprise Village and appreciative of the support our business has received from LEO over the years.”
The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices was recently launched by Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond T.D. and will be open as part of the National Ploughing Championships taking place in Ratheniska, County Laois from the 19th to 21st September.
Niall O’Keeffe, Head of Enterprise, LEO Cork City said “The National Ploughing Championships is one of the biggest occasions on the Irish calendar and there are very few events that draw a crowd as large as this over three days. For micro enterprises this is a huge opportunity to engage with thousands of prospective customers every day and this could have a significant impact on their business.”
Some of the LEO clients exhibiting this year cover areas such as children’s clothing and games, agtech products, luxury bathing and skincare products, artisan food and drink producers, sustainable clothing and beauty products and a range of innovative products from Ireland’s best small businesses. Year on year the Local Enterprise Village proves to be one of the most popular destinations for visitors to the Ploughing Championships.
Neale Richmond, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, said; “The Local Enterprise Village is a fantastic initiative from the Local Enterprise Offices. For these small businesses, many only in their early years, to get a chance to have a stand at the Ploughing Championships is a significant milestone for them. The opportunity to meet with thousands of people at the Local Enterprise Village, which is one of the popular stands at the Ploughing is going to be great boost to their business. I’m looking forward to going to the Village myself and meeting them all in person and sampling all the great products and services on show.”
NPA President James Sutton said “It is marvelous to see that so many diverse and impressive businesses will be partaking in this year’s ‘Local Enterprise Village’ at the National Ploughing Championships taking place in Ratheniska, Co Laois from September 19th to 21st. This is a wonderful opportunity for these small businesses to showcase their products and wares to the large number of visitors that Ploughing attracts.”
