THE young entrepreneurs at Lisheen National School have ‘cleaned up’ making a profit of €1,350 on an award-winning soap business.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth class pupils at Lisheen near Skibbereen were named Class of the Year 2024 in the All-Island Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP) Awards on Tuesday. The JEP awards allow children in primary schools to create and launch a real business from their classroom.
The class of 26 pupils, ranging in age from ten to 13, scooped the prestigious award with Draíocht na Mara, a natural, organic seaweed soap business.
The classroom was transformed into a science lab as the children experimented with soap-making, working with different essential oils, seaweeds and natural dyes. The pupils rolled up their sleeves and collected, washed and dried carrageen moss from the local strand after learning about its antioxidant, soothing and moisturising properties.
They overcame several false starts and production problems before finally hitting on the winning formula for their soap.
The pupils secured a €300 loan from the Parents Association for their seed money and made an initial batch of 100 soaps. Such was demand they had to quickly increase production to 300 bars to cope. The class designed their own label for the product and held a showcase day where the product was on sale and set up a stall in the local farmers’ market.
The class generated total sales of €2,160 and paid back their seed capital, leaving a profit of €1,350. With their profits the class treated themselves to a trip to Baltimore for pizza and ice cream and also to individual Skibbereen gift vouchers for spending in local businesses. They also made a donation to charity and they plan to spend the remainder on buying chickens and a coop for the school, ready for their next business venture!
‘Every child in the class has blossomed and grown on this programme - children who aren't suited to book learning, those who are highly academic, children who are very creative - there's something for everyone, and it has been such a pleasure to watch them all flourish,’ said class teacher Niamh McCarthy.
‘We are a very rural community here, and people have been so willing to support the children from offering a stall at the local market to helping them identify the right seaweed to harvest, to advising on best sources of raw materials. People have been fantastic, and the ripple effect through the community has been really, really positive. It's been lovely!’
Meanwhile the fifth class pupils in Summercove National School, Kinsale, received the JEP marketing gurus award for their business, The Kinsale Cookbook.
The beautifully produced cookbook featured recipes from restaurants in the gourmet capital as well as the pupils’ favourite dishes. The pupils organised a whole-school art competition to create artwork for the front cover and each section of the book. Themes included air fryer favourites, school lunch ideas and family-friendly recipes.
The class held a community showcase day in the Temperance Hall in the town centre to tell their story and sell their recipe book. Their efforts were rewarded with €4,600 in sales and a further €1,420 in sponsorship. The project turned a profit of €3,235.
This is two in a row for Summercove National School and teacher Sinéad de Bhaill. In 2023, Sinead and her fifth class won the JEP Finance Wizards award.
More than 112,000 pupils nationally have participated in the JEP programme since its foundation in 2010. The businesses created by the participating pupils have achieved sales of over €3m. JEP was co-founded by entrepreneur Jerry Kennelly to promote entrepreneurship in primary schools and was developed in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.
More than 12,000 children have participated in the JEP this year, said programme managing director and co-founder Marie Lynch.
‘JEP has become a rite of passage for children in primary schools before they move on to secondary school. The class develops a lasting bond by working together to experience real-world success. For many, it is the highlight of their primary school years,’ said Marie.
