Competition win gives start-up a Taste for success

ENTERING a competition to win a spot at this year’s Taste of Dublin certainly paid dividends for Wicklow’s Black Castle Drinks, with the startup company selling over 1,000 bottles of its craft soft drinks over the course of the festival.

Launched by husband and wife John McGee and Riva O’Malley in 2015, Black Castle Drinks was the winner of the ‘Show Your Business at Taste of Dublin’ competition run by Bank of Ireland. Their prize was a stand at the four-day festival, showcasing their product to more than 34,000 people.

‘ The experience of being at Taste surpassed all expectations,’ said co-founder Riva O’Malley. ‘As winners of the Bank of Ireland Show Your Business competition we were really excited to have a stand at the festival. In addition to selling a huge volume of stock, and enhancing the profile of our brand, we were delighted to meet so many business peers from the food and drinks industry who were extremely generous in providing lots of useful tips and advice to help us grow the business.

‘It was a fantastic networking opportunity which has resulted in new contracts with suppliers around the country. The buzz and footfall over the four days of the festival was incredible and we really hope to return next year again,’ she added.

‘We were delighted to support Black Castle Drinks as overall winners,’ said Declan Galvin, Head of Small Business at Bank of Ireland.

‘It provided a superb opportunity for Black Castle Drinks to extend their reach and enhance their brand profile.’