Drink Botanicals Ireland founder has been nominated in the emerging category for this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year awardsLaura McCarthy: 'The best advice I received was to focus on profitability and cash flow from day one.' Photograph: Naoise Culhane Thu Jul 30 2026 - 09:56 • 3 MIN READLaura McCarthy, Drink Botanicals: Laura McCarthy is the founder and CEO of Drink Botanicals Ireland, a company she established while studying business and marketing at TU Dublin after identifying a gap in the market – consumers looking to recreate premium, bar-quality drinks at home. An award-winning company, it specialises in premium dried garnishes, syrups, tea infusions and beverage ingredients for both the consumer and hospitality markets.The business began with a single product, the Gin Fusion Kit, which contained a selection of botanicals that allowed customers to infuse and elevate their G&Ts at home.Today, the company offers more than 65 products and supplies retailers, distributors, bars, restaurants, hotels and online customers across Ireland, Europe, the United States, Canada and the UAE.Operating from headquarters in Dublin, Drink Botanicals Ireland employs 11 people. What vision/light bulb moment prompted you to start up in business?While studying business and marketing at TU Dublin, I noticed the gin trend was booming. Bars and restaurants were serving beautifully garnished drinks but there was no easy way for consumers to recreate that experience at home. I saw an opportunity to bridge that gap. I stayed home instead of travelling to Thailand with friends that summer and launched Drink Botanicals Ireland.Describe your business model and what makes your business unique.We specialise in premium garnishes and beverage ingredients both for consumers and the hospitality sector. Our products are designed to make it easier to create high-quality drinks and dishes while reducing preparation time and food waste. With a shelf life of up to two years, they offer convenience, consistency and reduced waste, helping customers achieve professional-quality results with minimal effort.What moment/deal would you cite as the “game changer” or turning point for the company?Launching on Amazon US was a major turning point for the business. It gave us direct access to one of the world’s largest consumer markets and allowed us to test demand with relatively low risk. Becoming one of the top-selling brands in our category validated our international growth strategy and gave us the confidence to accelerate our expansion into new markets.What makes your company a good place to work? I believe we have built a positive, collaborative and supportive culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute ideas and make an impact. As a small team, each person is given responsibility and exposure across different areas of the business, often wearing multiple hats! I encourage continuous learning, flexibility and open communication, while maintaining a strong focus on teamwork, personal development and mutual support.What is your greatest business achievement to date?I think building Drink Botanicals Ireland into a growing, profitable, self-funded business is one of my greatest achievements. What started as an idea while I was still in college has grown into a company supplying customers across multiple international markets. Achieving that growth while remaining financially disciplined has been something I’m particularly proud of.What were the best and worst pieces of advice you received when starting out?The best advice I received was to focus on profitability and cash flow from day one. It has allowed Drink Botanicals Ireland to remain self-funded and grow sustainably.The worst advice was to chase every opportunity. I’ve learned that staying focused, knowing your strengths and resisting distractions are often far more valuable than trying to do everything.Describe your growth funding path.Drink Botanicals Ireland has been entirely self-funded since launch. We have grown through disciplined financial management, reinvesting profits back into the business and maintaining a strong focus on profitability from an early stage. That approach has allowed us to retain control of the business, make long-term decisions and scale sustainably without relying on external funding.What are you doing to disrupt, innovate and improve the products or services you offer?Innovation is central to our growth strategy. As a small business, I believe we can respond more quickly to emerging consumer trends and changing market demands than larger competitors. We develop new products and formats based on customer feedback and market insights, most recently expanding into categories such as matcha. IN THIS SECTION