The Cork SME firms shortlisted for the Cork Chamber Company of the Year Awards

In the second of a four-part series looking at the finalists for Cork Chamber's Company of the Year Awards 2024, we profile the contenders in the SME category

Barry and Fitzwilliam was founded by Michael Barry in 1982.

40 years of evolution and innovation at Barry & Fitzwilliam

Despite operating in one of the world’s oldest industries, drinks distributor Barry & Fitzwilliam has rarely sat still since they were founded over 40 years ago.

The supplier of a range of local and internationally known brands, the firm has continued to expand and evolve.

The company was founded by Michael Barry in 1982. Since then, it has grown to become one of Ireland’s leading independent drinks companies.

Over the past four decades, it has acquired a number of other firms as it expanded including McCullagh, Maxxium Irl and Allied Drinks & Approach Wines.

Today, Barry & Fitzwilliam is headquartered in Ballycurren where it employs 55 people.

Some of its best-known wine brands are McGuigan, Villa Maria, Michel Lynch, Graham Norton, Kylie, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pol Roger Champagne and spirit brands such as Tia Maria, Cointreau, Passoa, and Disaronno. Its best-known beer is Brewdog.

Barry & Fitzwilliam has about 3,500 accounts. In the off-trade, it supplies Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Tesco, Musgraves, Centra, BWG Group, Spar & Londis, Carry Out, O’Briens, O’Donovans and many other independent retailers.

It is heavily involved in the hospitality sector and was able to adapt the business successfully during covid lockdowns to concentrate totally on the retail sector and has increased turnover continuously since.

The firm continues to look for new additions to its portfolio and is very aware of new trends within the industry which has served it well in the past. It holds several meetings each month with new suppliers looking for distribution.

Currently, it is expanding its no and low-alcohol offering, a trend it expects to continue to rise and is also expanding its organic wines offer which has growing interest among Irish consumers.

Another new area of growth is the CBD drinks offering.

Barry & Fitzwilliam currently has one CBD brand, Good Rays, in its portfolio.

In relation to ESG, Barry & Fitzwilliam is working with all its brand owners on a sustainability project.

The lighting in its 50,000sq ft warehouse has been changed to LED to reduce energy. It also has a strong history of support and sponsorship of events and charity functions.

“We are absolutely delighted to be chosen as a finalist in the Cork Chamber Company of the Year awards,” said Mr Barry.

“We previously won the SME section in 2011 and we would be honoured to win the award a second time,” he said.

Bundledocs adding to its client base and entering new markets

Bundledocs is an example of how the development of the right product can be expanded and scaled globally.

Brian Kenneally founded Bundledocs in 2009 along with Lisa Walsh and James Hogan.

Bundledocs is a document collation, editing, and collaboration solution designed for the legal industry.

It was initially designed to help legal professionals create documentation for court, arbitration, and any case between disputing parties.

This work was traditionally done manually using paper, but using Bundledocs they can automate this process and streamline time-intensive tasks, to make their workflows easier and more efficient.

The company quickly found that legal professionals were having the same problem with document production in all jurisdictions, and it has since become a true cloud solution.

Bundledocs was founded in 2019 by Brian Kenneally, Lisa Walsh, and James Hogan. Headquartered in Ballincollig in Cork, the firm now has offices in Montreal, Canada, servicing the North American market and in Sydney, Australia, servicing the APAC market.

Since launching, their client base has grown to include some of the world’s top 200 law firms and government departments. They are scaling internationally and currently have 1,400 customers in 34 countries that benefit from their time-saving processes. In the last year, they released their PDF editing cloud offering.

What had begun as a simple bundle tool has now evolved to include document editing, OCR, e-file delivery, online collaboration, annotations, and much more.

The firm is privately funded, with no VC funding. In 2019 they received €250,000 in funding from Enterprise Ireland and €300,000 in private funding. They are cash positive at the current rate of €1.3m and to date have not sought additional funding.

Today, the company employs 18 people by adding strategic team members with a focus on hiring quality, key individuals that add value to existing teams.

In the last year, further product development and innovation has been their focus and they have expanded the development team, with a mix of experience levels.

They are committed to further building their client base within existing markets and expanding their presence into new ones — with a specific focus on North America.

“Having started in Cork and expanded globally since then with customers across 34 countries, we are thrilled that Bundledocs is a finalist in the Cork Company of the Year Awards,” CEO Brian Kenneally said. “Our software addresses a critical need in the legal tech sector, and this recognition is a testament to the exceptional dedication and hard work of our Irish and internationally-based team.”

Swyft Energy is helping drive Ireland’s green transition

Swyft Energy is a company that is not just changing the energy game; it is actively leading it towards a greener, more sustainable future.

Swyft Energy co-founder Adrian Casey.

The company today is a significant player in the renewable energy sector, offering a range of products and services to help businesses and individuals transition to sustainable energy sources.

They primarily design supply and fit solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for businesses and homes.

It has already completed over 12,500 installations.

It is also the largest gas boiler installer in Ireland, backed up by custom-built technology, systems and processes.

The company was formed in 2017 by Corkmen Adrian Casey and Joseph Freyne who have degrees in engineering and business.

Swyft Energy has invested several million euro building a technology platform to deploy its energy-saving products at scale with a focus on playing a key role in Ireland’s transition to net zero under the Government’s national plan for decarbonisation.

Over the past three years, it has introduced a range of products, services and innovations.

Swyft Store is the first e-commerce platform in Ireland for home services, making it easier for clients to explore and purchase renewable energy products.

Pipelyne captures data with a customised web form that rewards customers with an instant recommendation to boost conversions and sales.

For Swyft Energy, customer satisfaction is a key element of its business and is built into every system and process.

To measure it, the company gathers feedback through post-installation surveys, regularly monitors system performance, and maintains open lines of communication with clients.

Its customer support team is always ready to address inquiries and concerns promptly.

It also tracks customer referrals and repeat business as indicators of satisfaction and trust in its services. Swyft Energy has also expanded its product range to offer a wider selection of renewable energy products, including solar PV systems, and energy-efficient appliances.

“We are very happy to be nominated for the Cork Chamber Company of the Year awards along with so many other great past and present nominees,” said Mr Casey.

“We are a proud Cork-based company and are committed to creating employment in the Cork area long into the future. To be recognised by our peers in what is a very prestigious award means a lot to us as a company.”