Rebel City Distillery flying the flag for Cork at National Enterprise Awards  

A DISTILLERY set up in the old Ford Factory building by a husband-and-wife team will be representing Cork City’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in this week’s National Enterprise Awards.

Robert and Bhagya Barrett opened the Rebel City Distillery in June 2020, instilling new spirit into the iconic building in the process. Now they are selling their products nationwide and across the globe in markets such as the US, France, and Germany.

Fantastic example

The Rebel City Distillery was described as a “fantastic example” of how a small business could grow to become a highly successful international brand by Niall O’Keeffe, the head of enterprise at Cork City’s LEO.

“Through hard work and dedication, Robert and Bhagya have transformed an unused building into a vibrant business,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

Robert Barrett is a master distiller with more than 15 years of industry experience and a master’s degree in distilling and brewing from the Heriot Watt University in Scotland. Bhagya Barrett, the firm’s business development and creative director, has degrees in project management and engineering.

Honoured

Ms Barrett said that the firm was honoured to represent Cork City’s LEO in the national awards and encouraged others to contact the office to seek support with their own business ideas.

“LEO Cork City has been a massive support to us on our journey from opening to what we are today, and we would really encourage anyone who is starting out in business to contact them for advice and support,” she said.

“We are doing a job that we really enjoy, and it’s wonderful to see all our efforts being recognised in this way.”

The announcement that Rebel City Distillery would represent Cork City at the prestigious awards was made as Local Enterprise Week got under way yesterday. 

It features a week-long calendar of free online and in-person events. For more information visit https://www.localenterprise.ie.