Women & Ag Awards runner-up 2018: Caroline Daly

In 2016, Caroline Daly decided to take a career break to help develop and diversify her family farm. The Daly’s, who live and farm on Valentia Island in south Kerry, had started making artisanal ice cream in 2006; making use of the high-quality milk produced by their herd of pedigree Holstein-Fresians. While their ice creams were very well received, they didn’t suit large-scale distribution and Caroline felt they needed to re-evaluate that area of their family business.

She began to focus her energy on transforming their farm into a family-friendly destination. She continued to develop their ice cream flavours – made using the best-quality ingredients imported from Italy – and a menu for their tea room; located just steps from where they make the ice cream.

She also opened a craft shop and visitor information centre to provide an educational experience (she is a teacher after all).

Creating the perfect family-friendly destination also included building a dedicated play area for kids, making it easy for parents to sit back and enjoy their coffee and treats while taking in the beautiful surroundings of Valentia Island.

When Caroline was named runner-up in our 2018 Women & Agriculture Awards for on-farm innovation, she said she was thrilled to have made it as far as she did.

“It’s wonderful to see other like-minded women doing exactly what I’m doing,” she said. “It’s lovely to create, run and have a financially successful business that I love doing and am very proud of.”

Due to COVID-19, we will not be able to progress with the judging process until after 29 March 2020. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely.