That Great Business Show

Episode 87 That Great Business Show - Colette Twomey, founder Clonakilty Black Pudding, Kevin Maughan, CEO Urban Volt, talks about the rise of the sun in powering businesses


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3.00" Colette Twomey, founder of Clonakilty Black Pudding talks about her new project, her own golf club. As you do. She was trained as a brain technician but married a butcher which led to what is now a worldwide Irish food brand, known from Clonakilty to Sydney, Australia.

She explains how a Dunnes Stores tea lady led to their hugely successful 'gluten free' range.

She talks about producing 'white label' black pudding for other butchers.

She gives a history lesson about the rise of supermarket multiples and what it meant for the Clonakilty business.

Colette talks about how hard she worked, traversing the back roads of West Cork.

She and her late husband, Edward, never wrote down a business plan but they had a vision. That was 'we love the pudding so much we'd like if people could buy it wherever they live'.

The story of how they expanded into Australia is very revealing.

She also reveals her plans for the US and for the soon to be launched vegetarian puddings.

And she explains why it's all about attitude.

She was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition which she says gave her 'global vision'.

Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? She chose a few - Norah Casey and Paula FitzSimons


42.00" Kevin Maughan, CEO, Urban Volt talks about solar energy as a service.

Serendipitously the EU has just announced a big move for Europe to move away from Russian fossil fuels.

Curiously Ireland has a lot of daylight, which is all that is needed to make solar energy viable. But Urban Volt also has its fingers in another ten international markets.

He talks about the 'battery first' future where businesses will produce their own solar energy and then store it in their own batteries.

He mentions a perceived conflict of interest where State led utilities may be causing distortions in the energy market.


His 'hire in a heartbeat' - Shane Lanigan of Beach Point Capital


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That Great Business ShowBy Conall Ó'Móráin