BiaSol

WestBIC is an Enterprise Ireland partner providing hands-on startup support, funding readiness and investment preparation for early-stage founders in the west of Ireland.

BiaSol is Ireland's first food upcycler and was founded by sibling team Ruairi and Niamh Dooley. The first product range comes from a by-product known as “Spent Grain”. This is the leftover grain used in the brewing process which is actually full of nutrition - mostly fibre and protein. They transport this grain to our facility where the grain is upcycled making sure it’s safe for everyone to enjoy.

The business was started in 2020 as a way to combat food wastage, improve nutrition and bring our family closer together. Living on opposite sides of the world – Ruairi in Australia and Niamh in Ireland – they wanted a way to stay connected and to work on a cause close to our hearts. Their light bulb moment was the realisation that repurposing food waste was a viable way to be more sustainable and create healthy food products.

Key supports received during start-up process & the role WestBIC played

We were first introduced to WestBIC as part of an Enterprise Ireland Competitive Start Fund (now known as the Pre-Seed Start Fund) preparation webinar. WestBIC invited applicants to send their draft submissions for feedback and we took them up on the offer. The support was fantastic and we were successful in receiving the Competitive Start Fund on our 1st attempt. Since then WestBIC has continued to provide us with support in terms of investor readiness, awards and other grants/funding opportunities.

Hear more about BiaSol's journey by listening to our podcast! Click here to listen on Spotify!

Words of advice for new start-ups

The support from other entrepreneurs, businesses & state agencies in Ireland is fantastic. Our advice is don't be afraid to reach out and talk to as many people as possible. You never know where a conversation might lead to. The biggest issue we faced is building awareness so take every opportunity you can to promote yourselves - events, awards, PR etc.

Future Plans

Our aim is to become one of Europe's leading food upcycling companies. Our next goal is to break into the UK market and then mainland EU. By 2024 we’re forecasting turnover of greater than 2 million with over 10 employees. R&D is a key strategic wing of our business as we’re constantly learning the benefits of these new nutritional foods we’ve started upcycling. In 2022 we plan to release a number of new products to add to our current signature BiaSol Milled Grain range.

In 2023, we won listing with Holland & Barret for 112 stores In UK & Ireland. We have also become Enterprise Ireland High Potential Startup approved and have grown to a team of 9 employees. Recently, we have also become BRC (Global Food Safety) accredited and are moving to a 9000sq ft facility.