A 14-YEAR-OLD West Limerick student set the standard for young entrepreneurs when his handmade scented candles went on sale at the world-famous Duty Free shop in Shannon Airport.
It was the second notable business suvvess for Evan Quaid from Castlemahon who won the junior category of the National Student Enterprise Programme after developing the product in November 2017.
Shannon Airport Head of Commercial operations Darren Smyth described Evan as a remarkable young man with a bright future in business ahead of him.
“He got the idea for the candle making business from his favourite YouTube vlogger, bought a candle making kit and it started from there. That’s the type of ‘can-do’ spirit that has epitomised Shannon over the years.
“We want him to be the first but not the last young entrepreneur to have their goods featured here and we would ask any others out there that are producing non-perishable items to see this as an opportunity for themselves.”
As far as Darren is concerned, the opportunity of having his candles stocked in the Duty Free shop is a fantastic boost for his fledgling company.
“With over 1.7 million passengers going through the airport each year, it is a great place to have my candles on sale. It’s a fantastic opportunity”.
“The staff at Shannon have been really supportive and this is a big moment for me. Aside from being a great place to have my candles on sale, this is great promotion for the candles also.”
Airport Managing Director Andrew Murray said Shannon Duty Free has been a supporter of local businesses from its origin.
“We have put a significant focus on featuring local producers in the O’Regan Food Emporium and the Shannon Design section. We currently have 50 Irish suppliers with over 100 different products on sale in the store and now we have Quaid Candles sitting proudly among them”.
He added; “that any young entrepreneurs between the ages of 13 and 18 years who would like to have a product considered for inclusion in the world famous Shannon Duty Free shop to email youngentrepreneur@shannonairport.ie for an application form.
By Miranda Leahy
news@limerickpost.ie
