By Business & Finance 
Ruairi Dooley is founder and CEO of Circular Food Co. a company with a mission to change Ireland’s food landscape by eliminating waste and transforming approximately 250,000 tonnes of discarded food into nutritious and tasty ingredients.
What inspired you to start your company?
My sister, Niamh, and I founded Circular Food Co. with a mission to reduce food waste by upcycling food industry by-products into high-value, functional ingredients. We saw an opportunity to tackle the massive amount of spent grain waste—over 172,000 tonnes produced in Ireland every year—and transform it into something valuable. Rather than letting this nutrient-rich by-product go to waste, we wanted to create sustainable ingredients that could enhance food products while reducing environmental impact.
What is your core product/service offering and what gap in the market are you trying to address?
At Circular Food Co., we upcycle spent grain from brewing into sustainable, high-value food ingredients. Our goal is to address food waste while providing food manufacturers with environmentally friendly ingredient solutions that not only improve their products but also help them meet their sustainability targets.
Is there a particular sustainability-related issue that your business is trying to solve?
We are committed to reducing food waste by repurposing nutrient-rich by-products that would otherwise be discarded. By doing so, we contribute to a circular food system, lower carbon emissions, and help food businesses improve their overall environmental impact.
What motivated you to apply to the Accelerate Green programme?
We applied to Bord na Móna’s Accelerate Green programme because we saw it as a fantastic opportunity to refine our strategy for scaling Circular Food Co. while maximising our sustainability impact. We also want to better support food manufacturers in meeting their ESG commitments and adapting to new regulatory challenges like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Additionally, we’re excited to strengthen our investment proposition, build strategic partnerships, and connect with like-minded businesses that share our vision for a more circular food system.
How important is professional networking for you as you grow your business?
Networking is absolutely essential for us as we grow Circular Food Co. We’re eager to connect with food manufacturers, sustainability experts, corporate partners, and policymakers who can help drive the adoption of upcycled ingredients. Strong relationships and collaborations will play a key role in scaling our impact and driving systemic change in the food industry.
What’s your long-term vision for the company?
Our long-term vision is to make upcycled ingredients a standard in the food industry, ensuring that by-products are recognised as valuable resources rather than waste. We want to scale our impact globally, helping to reduce food waste, cut carbon emissions, and support businesses in transitioning to more sustainable food production models. Ultimately, we see Circular Food Co. playing a leading role in transforming the way the food industry thinks about waste and sustainability.
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