A popular Connemara seafood aims to grow its business with €63,000 investment supported by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).
Kim Young and Reinaldo Seco, the couple who run the Misunderstood Heron seafood truck on the Killary fjord in Leenane, Co Galway, aim to introduce energy and waste efficiencies and purchase new kitchen equipment.
The €63,000 investment is supported by a €31,700 grant under the Brexit Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme.
The scheme is administered by BIM, and funded from the EU’s Brexit Adjustment Reserve.
The couple say that a new state-of-the art bio digestor will see 85% of food and packaging waste becoming compost, dramatically reducing waste sent to landfill.
“We also added new kitchen equipment which has allowed us to streamline our cooking process and have a higher food output as we were finding it difficult to keep up with the demand during busy periods,”they say.
“ We are using 100% bio-degradable single-use take away packaging and expect to increase our turnover by 6 % this year,” they state.
“One of the most popular items on the menu are delicious mussels grown in the Killary Fjord, right in front of where we are based,” Kim Young says.
“Our organic smoked salmon is also a big seller and we source from Cornamona Smokehouse and Keem Bay in Achill,” she says.
“Our delicious sourdough bread is from Cornrue Bakery in Westport, and our fisherman is John Joe Faherty in Renvyle. We change our menu every three weeks or so and what we offer depends on the season and what is available locally,” she adds.
“We would not be here today without the support of BIM. When we first established in 2017 they supported us with benches and outdoor seating and advice on setting up a business. And the recent Brexit grant has made us more energy efficient and sustainable,”she says.
