A business located in rural Wexford is establishing itself as one of the country’s premier producers of a liquid used to reduce harmful emissions from diesel vehicles.

EuroBlue, which is in Ballybrennan in Bree, was set up in 2016 by Edward Galavan. It makes Adblue, a product which treats nitrogen dioxide emissions in diesel vehicles and converts them to harmless nitrogen and water.

Edward and business development manager Leon Galvin explained the origins of the business. ‘Before we started EuroBlue, the supply of Adblue in Ireland was dominated by imports and controlled by the large UK and European conglomerates.

‘However, we saw an opportunity to produce it locally and offer users a more efficient, secure and customer-focused service. Thankfully, our customers have valued this and supported us in growing to where we are today.’

The impact of Brexit is still being felt in some sectors, but for EuroBlue it has provided an opportunity to work with more Irish companies.

‘Our customer base include the haulage, bus, and courier sectors as well as the major food retailers and the forecourt sector and National Defence forces,’ said Leon.

‘All these are frontline services and have been operating non-stop through the pandemic to keep food and products moving. Security of supply is paramount and having a locally produced supply of Adblue has proved invaluable for them.’

Since it was founded in 2016, EuroBlue has received support from the LEADER Programme on two occasions, and Edward credits them with helping his business to grow.

‘We worked very closely with enterprise officer Helena Dempsey since our inception and through the LEADER programme we have received invaluable guidance and financial support.

‘This has helped us to scale up quickly and reach a size and capacity that has allowed us to compete with the the large UK and European producers.

‘The support of Helena and her teams in Wexford Local Development has also positively impacted on both local employment and the local economy. We work as much as possible with local suppliers of equipment, services and transport all of which helps to drive the local economy. I would recommend any business seeking development support to reach out and contact the Enterprise officer covering their area.’

And Edward is hopeful EuroBlue will continue to grow despite these uncertain times.

‘We saw growth this year despite the pandemic. A lot of vans and trucks are still running. Sales on the passenger side decreased, but farming and construction mostly carried on and haulage increased.

‘We see ourselves continuing to grow. Brexit will actually benefit us because some of the big UK suppliers will have additional checks on the border, so we’re hoping to find opportunities there. We’re ready to fill those gaps.’