Gala night of Awards rewarding the best of Laois business

 Excellence in Sustainability & Climate Action – Sponsored by Gas Networks Ireland

Winner: Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewery. Finalists: Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery, Enva, Glamping Under the Stars, Midland Steel Reinforcement Supplies, Solas Eco Garden Shop. To read more about the winner see below picture. To find out who won the next award TAP NEXT or ARROW.

Pictured: Excellence in Sustainability & Climate Action award sponsored by Gas Networks Ireland is presented to David and Lisa Walsh-Kemmis from Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery by Lar Burke. Picture: Alf Harvey.

Winners of the Best Small to Medium Sustainable Business in the 2022 PwC Sunday Business Post sustainability awards and the Sustainability Award in the 2022 Small Firms Association awards, Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery have a holistic approach to sustainability, integrating it into all parts of their business.  They are independently audited as part of their Origin Green membership, and have been awarded Gold status this year.

They have reduced their energy use by 23% and water use by 4% since the start of 2020. They have also switched their energy use to 100% renewable, and have installed a solar panel array which will soon be upgraded to a larger system.

All of their beers are made with water and barley from the farm, with consequent low food miles. Organic waste from the brewery is ploughed back into their barley fields to recycle the nutrients. They have also introduced a deposit scheme on reusable beer cups at every festival they attend, and replaced plastic pallet wrap and box tape with compostable alternatives.