A desire to live and work on Achill Island where she had family connections was the inspiration for Dublin native and ACORNS alumni Anna Sutcliffe’s business House of Achill.
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%.
“The most beneficial aspect of the ACORNS programme was being in a group of female entrepreneurs who were on similar journeys and were able to help and advise each other on different business issues as they arose”
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.
House of Achill
Anna Sutcliffe’s business grew out of her desire to create something that would allow her to live and work on Achill Island – a place she has strong family connections and which she considers to be magical.
The native of Crumlin in Dublin had been visiting Achill throughout her life, but the pandemic allowed her to spend more time there and to consider making the move permanent.
“I decided to create a range of candles inspired by Achill with the scent of each candle evoking a sense of the island – thereby bringing the scent of ‘home’ home – wherever you might be in the world.”
With a background in fashion buying and business procurement, Anna set about sourcing a good manufacturer who would be happy to take on an initially small project.
She invested her savings in the business and launched House of Achill in June 2023 with a range of four candles that she has since expanded to eight.
With the support of LEO in Mayo, Anna was invited to Local Enterprise Showcase 2024. Off the back of her attendance at Showcase, she is exploring expanding into Italy and is working with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland on an island guild of craftspeople from all the islands off the coast of Ireland.
Her products are currently stocked by major retailers in Ireland including Foxford Woolen Mills, Brown Thomas, the National Gallery of Ireland, Kylemore Abbey, the Beehive in Achill, and Achill Island Kitchen.
“The most beneficial aspect of the ACORNS programme was being in a group of female entrepreneurs who were on similar journeys and were able to help and advise each other on different business issues as they arose.”
Anna’s plans for the business include opening a shop on Achill and exporting to the US and mainland Europe.
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