Two Cork based businesses have been awarded Local Enterprise Awards from Cork County Council’s Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) in Cork North and West and South Cork and will now compete against 29 other businesses at the National Enterprise Awards.
Both ‘Wildberry Bakery’ and ‘The Feed Ducks Initiative’ received the accolade for building successful businesses in their respective regions.
Representing LEO Cork North and West, Wildberry Bakery was founded by husband-and-wife team Susan Robbins and Tom Fehily. Based in Ballineen and a family business since 2017, Wildberry produce award winning baked goods which just so happen to also be gluten free. Building the business from a small café and shop to a commercial business delivering high quality products nationwide, Wildberry has received dozens of awards and supplies major supermarket chains.
Founded by Matthew Knight, The Feed Ducks Initiative will represent LEO Cork South. The Initiative builds, installs and maintains solar powered contactless duck feed dispensers. Knight created his now burgeoning business during lockdown when the highlight of those days was time spent feeding the local ducks with his young son Oscar. Since his first duck food dispenser was installed in 2021 the business has grown from strength to strength, starting with 1 dispenser in 2021 to over 80 dispensers across 60 government authorities in 2024 in the UK and Ireland. It is now recognised as an international environmental initiative, reducing foreign feed and rotting excess food that leads to silt build up in local pond ecosystems. The company also donates 10% of their proceeds back into communities to non-profit groups to fund community initiatives to improve local parks.
Both businesses will now go forward to compete for a share of the €35,000 winner’s prize fund at the Round Room in Dublin.
Last year Cork County Council’s LEO offices in South Cork and Cork North & West approved grants totalling over €2 million to assist local businesses.
Further details about the supports available to local start-ups and small businesses are available through www.localenterprise.ie
 in Cork North and West and South Cork and will now compete against 29 other businesses at the National Enterprise Awards.){kind=link}