Business & Agri student wins top award for his start up 'Heather Fed Fowl'

A GMIT Business & Agri student from North Roscommon has won a top prize and award from the Roscommon Local Enterprise Office (LEO) for his innovative start-up business idea, a heather-fed fowl farm.

Kyle Flynn, from Ballyfarnon, Co Roscommon, is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Business in Rural Enterprise and Agri-Business at the GMIT Dublin Road (Galway) campus. He came second in the Roscommon stages of Ireland’s Best Young entrepreneur (IBYE) competition for his idea.



Describing his business idea, Kyle says: “I come from a farming background where we keep suckler cows. I thought of this idea because we have about 60 acres of this heather land which isn’t being used perhaps as efficiently as it could be.”

“Heather Fed Fowl is chicken, duck, turkey and quail fed on a diet of heather, wild grass, wild herbs along with some concentrates. Research shows this will bring a more succulent taste and tenderness to the meat and it will also have a higher vitamin E content too which is good for balancing cholesterol, thickening hair, slowing down the worsening effects of Alzheimer’s disease and also good for muscle growth. The fowl will be out during the day and in at night.”

“The study by researchers in the University of Bristol, UK, and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Devon *, found that sheep fed on a diet like this had a higher vitamin E content in the meat and the meat also had a better taste than animals reared on a normal grassland pasture according to taste testers involved in the study.” explains Kyle.

“I’m delighted to have won this prize and support from the Roscommon LEO and would like to thank my lecturers for their encouragement and support.”

Kyle was encouraged to enter the competition by his lecturers Kevin McDonagh, Galway campus, and Tom Burke and Eimear Hughes at the GMIT Mountbellew campus.

Kevin McDonagh, who lectures on the Enterprise Development module, GMIT School of Business, says: “We are extremely proud of Kyle’s achievement. He has developed a novel idea and worked diligently in the preparation of his business plan and his pitch to the judges. He is deserving of his success.” 

“Over 60 students on the Enterprise Development module entered the IBYE competition through their Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) and ten made it to the final stages of the competition. They have done us proud and we are delighted Kyle won €3,000 cash prize plus mentoring and supports from the Roscommon LEO to help him bring his business idea to fruition.”

“These competitions fit very well with our courses. Entrepreneurship is a core element of programmes in the School of Business and we had considerable success over the years in enterprise competitions.

For further information about the Bachelor of Business in Rural Enterprise and Agri-Business, see:

http://www.gmit.ie/agri-business/bachelor-business-hons-rural-enterpris…

Kyle can be contacted by email kyleflynn96@gmail.com  or on his LinkedIn account.

*Effect of pasture type on lamb product quality

F.M. Whittington, R. Dunn, G.R. Nute, R.I. Richardson and J.D. Wood

Division of Farm Animal Science, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, UK.

Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke Research Station, Okehampton, Devon, UK.