SEABED SUCCESS

CURRENT STATUS

Deirdre Mac Cathmhaoil

Company Name: Rí Na Mara Founders: Deirdre and Seamus Mac Cathmhaoil. Years in business: Three Employee numbers: Six full time, four part time. Turnover: €400,000 per annum

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARDS

Rí Na Mara has won many awards, which Deirdre says were a fantastic achievement for the company increasing sales and product awareness.

BPW Business Woman of the Year 2006     Viridian Award for Innovation 2006     Lá / Foras na Gaelige Top 50 Business as Gaelige Award 2006

Business and Professional Women Of The Year 2006 Deirdre Mac Cathmhaoil has nutured her company Rí na Mara to success. Linda Pearson reports.

In two short years Rí na Mara which sells a wide range of seaweed based beauty products throughout Ireland and abroad has become the number one best selling Irish-produced face cream in the country. Founder and director of Rí na Mara, Deirdre Uí Chathmhaoil was recently awarded the BPW Business Woman of the Year 2006 prize.

With extensive previous experience in the world of dermatology and aquaculture, husband and wife Deirdre and Seamus Mac Cathmhaoil were perfectly suited to launch their unique range of seaweed beauty products. Today, their brainchild company Rí Na Mara is situated in Spidéal, a beautiful location in the Connemara Gaeltacht on the West of Ireland and has become a huge success.

Invaluable Experiences

Deirdre Uí Cathmhaoil has graduated in Cosmetic Science and is a member of the Society for Cosmetic Scientists. She has also worked as a nurse in a dermatological unit. This experience, teamed with her husband’s aquaculture knowledge, gave them sufficient expertise to spur their luxury skincare range into action.

As she explains, “Seamus was involved in the Aquaculture Business in the west of Ireland, and whilst studying a Bord Iascaigh Mhara course with one module concentrated on seaweed, this subsequently led us to a three year period of research and development throughout Europe where we had contacts with a number of seaweed experts who had spent a lifetime working with cosmetic formulations.”

During this process they discovered that all the same species of seaweed they had researched were thriving off the west coast of Ireland, which is particularly favoured as a natural habitat for nutrient-rich seaweed and marine algae. “We became more and more convinced throughout our travels that there was a real opportunity to capitalise on the natural advantages that Ireland’s west Atlantic seaboard offered as a natural habitat for nutrient, rich seaweed and marine algae,” she said.

As a result, Rí Na Mara developed a number of cosmetic products with Irish sourced ingredients, and after a period of trials and testing they launched their spa range in 2004. And just last year Mac Cathmhaoil was merited with three prestigious awards including BPW Business Woman of the Year 2006.

Facing Obstacles

Uí Cathmhaoil explains it wasn’t all plain sailing and that as they developed their business obstacles cropped up. “We insisted on a modern Celtic image for our seaweed products. The origination costs were expensive because of our insistence on top quality marketing with packaging, presentation, and of course the high quality of the product. This created a challenge time wise and involved a higher cost.”

She said being a woman in the world of business wasn’t a problem she had to face, and also added that women have attributes they too can add to the business realm. “There are a lot more successful women in business today and it is very encouraging as I feel women are naturally more cautious about finances which is a positive thing in business,” explained the businesswoman.

As a successful businesswoman Uí Cathmhaoil then went on to reveal what she believes makes a business run smoothly, giving advice to all aspiring entrepreneurs. “I don’t think there is one single dimension which makes the business work. Instead it is multi faceted. Each element is important including developing the market and customer base, customer care, marketing, new product development, and accounts.”

Exquisite Products

So why did Rí Na Mara decide on seaweed as their main ingredient? “The revitalising, stress-relieving and therapeutic properties of seaweed have been recognised since antiquity,” describes the entrepreneur. Each seaweed species has its own unique benefits. There is a marvelous wealth of vitamins and minerals contained in seaweed. These beneficial seaweed extracts are the main active ingredient in Rí Na Mara skin and bodycare range. For example, Rí Na Mara face cream protects against free radical damage, reduces the appearance of fine lines, and helps combat premature skin wrinkling by restoring the skins natural moisture balance. This face cream is the top selling Irish produced cream with online sales being sent all over the world. Their products are ph balanced, biodegradable, not tested on animals, and free of mineral oil and animal derivatives.

Future Goals

Like all emerging entrepreneurs, this innovative woman envisions many possibilities for her business in the future. “Future ambitions for my company include expanding our distribution throughout USA, UK and Canada and also to extend Rí Na Mara’s present range of six products, offering a high value Irish made product range,” she explains.

In conclusion Uí Cathmhaoil describes her sense of pride in all she has achieved to date. “I am proud of what I have achieved. I have learnt so much along the way and acquired so many new skills in many areas that I would not have otherwise acquired if had not taken the plunge.”