A global skincare company that was founded in Kildare, Pestle & Mortar, has been named the overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards.
Pestle & Mortar was co-founded by Sonia Deasy whose Indian heritage in natural healing inspired the skincare products.
"I come from six generations of medicine men. My grandfather was the medicine man in India, and my uncle still practices in the same spot today, so I used my heritage to inspire my product formulation. I use natural ingredients combined with science, high potent active ingredients, to create simple but practical skincare solutions," Ms Deasy said.
The company launched in 2014 and now employs 27 people.
Ms Deasy appeared on the shopping channel, QVC, in the US, and Pestle & Mortar products sold out in seven minutes. "Less than 1% of new brands sell out on QVC in America," she said.
Ms Deasy also has the help of her five children. "It's a very busy time with expansion for us in the business. They like to feel that they know what's going on, so even with naming the business, they helped me name it Pestle & Mortar."
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Ms Deasy has an entrepreneurial spirit. Pestle & Mortar is her second business. She and her husband, Padraic, are best known in Newbridge for their portrait studio business that they once ran in the town.
"Within that business we travelled around the world extensively, educating professional photographers, and it was from travelling that I really got my inspiration to create Pestle & Mortar.
"I noticed from looking behind his lense that a lot of women had the same skincare concerns which was mainly, dry, dull, dehydrated skin. These people were busy but they didn't seem to have a simple skincare solution figured out. Also from travelling, my own skin was suffering in the same way, so I decided to create a simple skincare solution."
The National Enterprise Awards were held in the Mansion House in Dublin last night. The awards are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices to celebrate Ireland's best small businesses.
The 'Innovation' award went to ice-cream manufacturer, Ice Cream Treats. The Cavan company was set up in 2013 by Gerry Sheridan and it's MOO'D Ice Cream parlours are in 200 SuperValu and Centra stores across the country.
The 'Best Export Business' award went to Kilkenny-based Mechanical Modular Solutions, which was set up by Michael McGuire in 2017.
It designs and manufactures pre-engineered and pre-fabricated modular solutions for large-scale projects such as data centres, retail outlets and office developments.
The best 'Start-Up' business went to Clean Cut Meals, which makes and delivers portion-controlled healthy meals.
The company was set-up in 2015 by two friends, Conor McCallion and Michéal Dyer in Clarenbridge, Galway. They have delivered over 750,000 meals nationwide to date, and they are planning to enter the US market in 2020.
