Astute use of social media platforms TikTok and Instagram saw ACORNS alumni Carina Rosengrave’s Burren View Farm hatch a brilliant plan.
We talk to rural women entrepreneurs from across Ireland who recently took part in the ACORNS 9 programme.
Acorns recently celebrated a decade of support for female entrepreneurship in rural Ireland. 57 women entrepreneurs who completed the recent programme saw their turnover increase by more than 40%.
“It was brilliant to be surrounded by likeminded people going in the one direction and supporting each other”
Women in rural Ireland with new businesses or at least with well-developed ideas are being invited to join next phase of the programme, ACORNS 10.
The ACORNS programme is designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through a peer learning approach. Thanks to the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the voluntary contribution of time by Lead Entrepreneurs, there is no charge for those selected to participate.
Only early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland, and who have had no sales before the end of June 2021, are eligible to apply.
ACORNS 10 will run from October 2024 to April 2025 and will include six monthly round table sessions, a workshop on understanding financials, a briefing by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration.
Burren View Farm
Carina Roseingrave started her free range eggs business on the family farm she grew up on at the foothills of the Burren in Crusheen, Co Clare.
She and her brother Gerry have been running the 350-acre farm – which also has 100 dairy cows, sucklers and pedigree herds registered with the Irish Limousin Cattle Society and Irish Charolais Cattle Society under the Burrenviewfarm prefix – since their father passed away.
Carina, who also runs an after school childcare business in nearby Tulla, came up with the idea for Burren View Farm free range eggs when the childcare service was closed during pandemic lockdown in 2020.
She started with 50 hens and a small chicken coop, and she gathered the eggs by hand every day before selling them through an honesty box at the farm gate.
As well as word of mouth, Carina generated sales through TikTok and Instagram – with her videos on the platforms often getting over a million views.
When she joined the ACORNS programme in November 2023, Carina found that it gave her the confidence to expand her operation.
“I built a fully functioning hen shed, registered it with the Department of Agriculture and increased the flock to 1,200 hens, which roam the lush green pastures of Burren View Farm producing a wholesome nutritional free range egg.
“We now supplies free range eggs to local shops, cafés and restaurants as well as to regular loyal customers and passing trade through the honesty box.”
Carina found that the ACORNS programme boosted her confidence and really focused her mind on the business.
“It was brilliant to be surrounded by likeminded people going in the one direction and supporting each other.
“My plans include building a larger hen shed, breeding and showing top quality pedigree bulls and growing the dairy herd while ensuring that sustainability is at the heart of their farming process.”
What is ACORNS?
ACORNS, which stands for Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups, is in its 10th year. It is funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). ACORNS was a runner up in the 2018 European Enterprise Promotion Awards, Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills. The programme was developed by Fitzsimons Consulting.
Eligibility Criteria for participation on ACORNS
To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2021 or be actively planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.
- They must own or part-own the business and be living in a rural area, that is in an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
- If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch Forum and first round table session on October 21 and 22, 2024.
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
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