Ireland
Where to look for support.
Schemes change constantly, so the useful thing is knowing which doors to knock on rather than a list that dates in a month.
In short
The main starting points for an Irish food business are your Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland for scaling businesses, Fáilte Ireland for tourism-facing operations, and Bord Bia for food producers. Specific schemes open and close frequently, so treat your Local Enterprise Office as the first call rather than relying on any published list.
Updated 28 August 2026
Start with the Local Enterprise Office
Every county has one, they deal with small businesses specifically, and they will tell you what is currently open to you. This is a far more reliable route than searching for scheme names, because the landscape changes and out-of-date lists send people to closed programmes.
The bodies worth knowing
Different organisations serve different kinds of food business, and applying to the wrong one wastes time on both sides.
- Local Enterprise Office: small business, training, feasibility, some grants
- Enterprise Ireland: scaling and export-focused businesses
- Fáilte Ireland: tourism-facing hospitality
- Bord Bia: food producers and marketing
- Revenue: tax reliefs and schemes rather than grants
Training and mentoring are underused
The non-cash supports are frequently more accessible than capital grants and often more useful. Subsidised management training and mentoring programmes are available to small businesses and are considerably less competitive than funding rounds. For an owner-operator, time with an experienced mentor can be worth more than a small grant.
Check tax-side supports too
Not everything is a grant. Reliefs and schemes administered through Revenue can be worth more than a competitive funding round and involve no application against other businesses. Your accountant is better placed than a grants database to tell you which apply to you.
The honest limitation
Grant landscapes change frequently and any specific scheme named in an article will eventually be wrong. Deliberately, this page points at the institutions rather than at programmes. Verify current availability directly before spending time on an application.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Are there grants for buying equipment?
Capital supports exist at various times and are often tied to specific criteria such as energy efficiency or employment. Ask your Local Enterprise Office what is currently open.
Can I get support for a website or ordering system?
Digital and trading online supports have existed in various forms and their availability changes. This is exactly the kind of thing to ask your Local Enterprise Office about directly.
Do I need a business plan?
For most funding, yes, and writing one is worth doing regardless. The discipline of modelling break-even and cash flow is more valuable than the document.
Is this financial advice?
No. Verify current schemes with the relevant body and take advice from your accountant.
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