CBA Cork Business of the Year award finalists announced

THE Cork Business Association (CBA) has announced the finalists of the 66th annual Cork Business of the Year awards 2023. The overall winners will be announced at the CBA’s annual President’s Dinner at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Little Island on Saturday, February 25.

The public now have the chance to vote for the overall winners in each award category on CBAAwards.ie. The public decision will carry considerable weight when the judging panel makes its final decision. The judges will also select the overall Cork Business of the Year awards for a large business and SME, and they will choose a Champion of Cork.

The Awards, which are run in partnership with sponsors JCD, Centra, and Peninsula and media partner The Irish Examiner, recognise the outstanding contribution of businesses and individuals working diligently across varied sectors of business in Cork City.

The finalists are:

Best in Sustainable Business Innovation: Ballymaloe House, Salvagem, The Imperial Hotel.

Best Café: Soma Coffee Co., The Bookshelf, Yumm Yumm Cafe, Kanturk.

Best New Business: Cork Harbour Cruises, Golden Bites Food Ltd, Greenwich Cafe.

Best Family Business: Mahers Pure Coffee, T&A Civil Engineering Ltd., The Chicken Inn.

Cork’s Best Hotel: The Kingsley, The Metropole Hotel, Vienna Woods Hotel.

Best Restaurant: Nell’s Wine Bar, Rare @ The Blue Haven, Terre @ Castlemartyr Resort.

Best VFI Pub: Barry’s of Douglas, JJ Walsh’s, The Castle Inn.

Best Retail Business: Interiosity, Leaders Menswear, The Roughty Foodie.

Best in Tourism, Arts & Events: Cork on a Fork Festival, IMART, The Everyman.

Best Professional Services Business: 3B1, ERA Downey McCarthy, MC2 Accountants.

Best in Digital Business: Babelfis, Dyjaho, HomeHak.com.

Commenting on the finalists, President of the Cork Business Association, Kevin Herlihy, said: “This year we received a record number of entrants and I would like to congratulate each of our very deserving finalists. The businesses shortlisted have demonstrated true strength and innovation. Owners/managers are overcoming huge obstacles and working hard to ensure the future of not only their own individual businesses but the growth and prosperity of Cork City. Success wears many different hats.

“To some, it’s bunkering down and keeping the doors open to provide a vital service for our city, while others have innovated, pivoted or grown.”

The CBA President’s Dinner and Cork Business of the Year Awards is always a highlight for local businesses and will take place in The Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, Little Island, on Saturday, February 25.

Top chefs and award-winning producers will again unite to create a menu, based on the best Cork produce, that will enthrall and delight the taste buds.

This year’s dinner will be produced by executive head chefs from The Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, The Blue Haven Kinsale, Cork’s Vienna Woods, Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, Trigon Hotels & Barry’s of Douglas. The aim is to shine a light on the region’s growers, cheese makers, farmers, and other artisan producers, whilst also showcasing the creativity and talent of Cork’s hotel chefs as they continue to push boundaries.

The event will help raise funds for the Cork Missing Persons Search & Rescue, and tickets that only went on sale last week are selling quickly.

To vote for your Cork Business of the Year Winner or to book tickets to the dinner, see CBAAwards.ie.