Ballinrobe firm to shine at National Ploughing Championships
Van Velzes Luxury Chocolates are one of the businesses who will feature in the Local Enterprise Village at the National Ploughing Championships. Picture: Don Moloney
A Ballinrobe chocolatier will get the chance to exhibit to almost 300,000 people at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, County Offaly this week as part of the Local Enterprise Village.
Van Velze’s Chocolates, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo, is an Irish artisan chocolatier creating premium handmade chocolates with rare cocoa and fine Irish ingredients. Established in 2023, the company specialises in elegant personal, retail and corporate gifts designed to deliver a memorable luxury chocolate experience.
The Local Enterprise Village is an area within the Ploughing Championships where the Local Enterprise Offices enable over 30 small businesses from across the country to exhibit from September 15 to 17.
This year the Local Enterprise Village will also have a Business Advice Hub for any budding entrepreneurs or existing businesses who want to get advice from the Local Enterprise Offices Specialist Business Advisors. So, for anyone who has a business idea that wants to figure out how to get it off the ground or for someone with an existing business who may want advice on funding, sustainability or building digital and AI into their business there will be advisors on hand to meet with.
The Google AI team’s experts will also be in the Local Enterprise Village with an interactive area focused on making AI work for you and your business.
Enterprise Europe Network will also be based in the Village for the first time, giving advice to businesses who want to begin looking at new markets across the EU.
John Magee, Head of Enterprise, Mayo County Council, said: “This is a chance for a Ballinrobe business to show off their products to almost 300,000 potential customers.
"The Local Enterprise Village has become a magnet for people looking to find their local business and/or see what they can pick up."
With some of the biggest companies and organisations in Ireland taking up residence at the Ploughing every year, the Local Enterprise Village continues to be a popular destination on the site for those looking to pick up something unique to bring home from some of the best small businesses in Ireland.
The Local Enterprise Village will showcase the very best of Irish entrepreneurship and will house businesses across all sectors from clothing, craft and artisanal food to bovine genetics and woodwork machinery.
Anna May McHugh, Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association, said: “The Local Enterprise Village is such a valuable part of the Ploughing, giving small Irish businesses from across the country the opportunity to showcase what they do to the huge crowds that attend each year. We are delighted to welcome the 31 businesses selected this year and it’s great to see them have the opportunity to reach new customers and showcase their products and services to such a large audience."
