Cod-n’t do better!

A Bantry-based seafood company has netted the Cork County Business of the Year award at a prestigious lunch event in Cork County Hall.

Keohane Seafoods had to fight off some strong competition before being crowned the overall West Cork Business of the Year award.

Founded in 2010 by Mike, Colman and Brian Keohane, the company was built on 40 years of experience in the seafood industry.

Keohane’s Seafood competed for the top spot against Castlemartyr Resort and Spa, and Health and Safety Publications, who won the East Cork Business of the Year and North Cork Business of the Year awards respectively.

Managing Director Colman Keohane said: “We’re delighted to win this award. For us to be recognised by winning the overall county Cork award further helps build our brand as an employer, helping us recruit talent and for our employees, it is recognition for all of the fantastic work that they do.”

Keohane Seafoods specialise in salmon and white fish value-added products for the retail market and have built up a client base in Ireland and overseas through a passion for their products and customer service. Their Bantry factory is Ireland’s largest and most modern salmon processing site with a capacity to process over 10,000 fish per day.

At the awards ceremony, Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey congratulated all three regional winners.

“Alongside the deserving winners, Keohane Seafoods, I congratulate the finalists Castlemartyr Resort and Spa, and Health and Safety Publications, both superb businesses in their own right,” said Mr Lucey.

“All three enterprises are great examples of innovation, vision, and determination in delivering success and creating employment and economic growth in our region.”

The Cork County Business of the Year Awards was launched in June 2019 and the awards were created to recognise the vast array of business and tourism enterprises operating across Cork county.

In its first year, the awards generated 324 entries from 240 different businesses and tourism organisations. Taking place across the three regions, West Cork, North Cork and East Cork, there were 11 different categories. The 33 shortlisted finalists for each region attended a ‘pitch night’ in October, where they had the opportunity to sell their organisation to the judges face-to-face.

A total of 11 category winners were then chosen for each region and announced at three separate gala awards nights in November where an overall Business of the Year winner was chosen for each region.

Deputy Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Martin Coughlan said: “These awards have highlighted what a wealth of creativity and business acumen we have across Cork county. But what has most overwhelmed me about the competition has been the levels of engagement countywide. The three regional competitions have displayed an incredible variety of innovative businesses of all sorts and sizes, each one embedded in their community. This level of competition makes these awards a brilliant accomplishment. The bar has been set very high for next year’s competitors, which I eagerly look forward to.”

The programme for the Cork County Business and Tourism Awards 2020 will be launched in April.