Sligo Food Hub

Food Hub Survey 2025

Sligo County Council is exploring the potential for creating dedicated incubation and enterprise spaces in the County specifically for start-up and expanding food and drink sector producers. This survey will help in identifying current and future demand for such facilities and your assistance in completing it is greatly appreciated. (Note: personal contact information will only be viewed by the project team, for research purposes, and will not be shared).

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* 1. What is your name? (Optional)

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* 2. What is the name of your business (if relevant)

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* 3. Are you currently engaged in food/ drink production?

Yes

Not at present, but planning to start

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* 4. Where is your business currently based?

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* 5. Where do you live?

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* 6. Which of the following best describes the type of business you are hoping to start or grow?

Brewery / Distillery

Catering / Food Vendor

Specialty Food Products

Farmer produce (meat/ vegetable/ fruit boxes, etc.)

Food Service provider (e.g., prepared meals, delivered meals, meal kits)

Food Truck

Restaurant

Bakery and baked goods

Other (please specify)

Any other comment?

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* 7. PLease tell us more about your product.

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* 8. At what stage is your business currently?

pre-start-up (e.g. concept stage, market research, training, business planning, etc.)

product development / testing (not yet launched)

start-up (operating less than 18 months)

established/ expanding (more than 18 month)

Paused/ closed for now

Any other comment?

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* 9. Who are you selling/ planning to sell to:

retail to local residents

wholesale to local shops, cafes, restaurants

major retailers and, or food distributors

farmers markets

festivals and events

online sales

export markets

other (please specify)

Any other comment?

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* 10. Rate 1-5 any obstacles you are/ have experienced in progressing your business plans, with 5 being the most serious

	1	2	3	4	5
lack of funding to purchase equipment	lack of funding to purchase equipment 1	lack of funding to purchase equipment 2	lack of funding to purchase equipment 3	lack of funding to purchase equipment 4	lack of funding to purchase equipment 5
need for market research	need for market research 1	need for market research 2	need for market research 3	need for market research 4	need for market research 5
lack of business start-up skills or knowledge	lack of business start-up skills or knowledge 1	lack of business start-up skills or knowledge 2	lack of business start-up skills or knowledge 3	lack of business start-up skills or knowledge 4	lack of business start-up skills or knowledge 5
need to access to suitable/ affordable workspace	need to access to suitable/ affordable workspace 1	need to access to suitable/ affordable workspace 2	need to access to suitable/ affordable workspace 3	need to access to suitable/ affordable workspace 4	need to access to suitable/ affordable workspace 5
difficulty finding skilled staff	difficulty finding skilled staff 1	difficulty finding skilled staff 2	difficulty finding skilled staff 3	difficulty finding skilled staff 4	difficulty finding skilled staff 5
Other obstacles (please specify below)	Other obstacles (please specify below) 1	Other obstacles (please specify below) 2	Other obstacles (please specify below) 3	Other obstacles (please specify below) 4	Other obstacles (please specify below) 5

Any other comments?

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* 11. If already in business, are you engaged full-time or part-time?

full-time (30+ hours per week)

part-time (10-29 hours per week)

micro (less than 10 hours per week)

Any other comment?

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* 12. How long has your business being operating?

Less than 12 months

1 - 3 years

4 - 6 years

7 - 9 years

10+ years

Any other comment?

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* 13. Do you employ anyone other than yourself? If so, how many

Full-time (30+ hours)

Part-time (10 to 29 hours)

Less than 10 hours per week

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* 14. Are you planning to hire more staff in the next 2 years?

Yes

Unsure at the moment

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* 15. Where do you currently produce/ plan to produce your product(s)?

own home

separate facility at home, e.g. shed, garage, etc.

rented commercial space

shared kitchen facility

other (please specify)

Any other comments?

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* 16. Would you be interested in using dedicated production space if it was available in County Sligo?

Yes

Unsure at the moment

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* 17. What facilities or features would such a space need to have to suit your needs? E.g. certified kitchen, cold storage, packing area, office, meeting room, storage, delivery area, parking.

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* 18. If so, how often do you think you would use it?

Daily

Full day once or more per week

Half day once or more per week

Full day once or more per month

Half day once or more per month

Occasionally (e.g., a few times per year)

Other (please specify)

Any other comment?

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* 19. What other supports, services, or equipment would you find useful? E.g. training, marketing help, branding support, packaging equipment, cold storage, delivery services…

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* 20. How much do you believe could you afford to pay for using the space?

Under €50 per day

€50-100 per day

Over €100 per day

Weekly or monthly rate (please specify)

Other (please specify)

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* 21. How far would you be willing/ able to travel to access food production space?

Under 15 mins

15 to 30 mins

30 to 60 mins

60 to 90 mins

90+ mins

Any other comment?

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* 22. Please rate the following factors in terms of how important they are when choosing a production location. (5 being the most important.)

	1	2	3	4	5
distance from home	distance from home 1	distance from home 2	distance from home 3	distance from home 4	distance from home 5
access to public transport	access to public transport 1	access to public transport 2	access to public transport 3	access to public transport 4	access to public transport 5
access to major roadways, e.g. N15, N17, N4	access to major roadways, e.g. N15, N17, N4 1	access to major roadways, e.g. N15, N17, N4 2	access to major roadways, e.g. N15, N17, N4 3	access to major roadways, e.g. N15, N17, N4 4	access to major roadways, e.g. N15, N17, N4 5
proximity to Sligo Town	proximity to Sligo Town 1	proximity to Sligo Town 2	proximity to Sligo Town 3	proximity to Sligo Town 4	proximity to Sligo Town 5
24-hour or own door access	24-hour or own door access 1	24-hour or own door access 2	24-hour or own door access 3	24-hour or own door access 4	24-hour or own door access 5

Any other comments?

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* 23. Would you be interested in collaborating with other local producers (e.g. joint marketing, events, shared distribution)?

Yes

Maybe

Any other comment?

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* 24. If you would like to be contacted for follow-up workshops, events, or updates related to this project, please provide your email below.

Email Address