Triest Press is a social enterprise based in county Roscommon. A full service printing service the company specialises in employing people with disabilties. I interviewed Deborah Tierney Business Development Coordinator at Triest Press to find out more

1. What’s the Triest Press origin story? How have you grown since?

Triest Press was set up by members of the Brothers of Charity services in 1987 following the expressed desire of their service users for local and meaningful employment opportunities. At the time opportunities were slim to none so they set about starting their own enterprise to tackle this issue. It wasn’t until 2009 however that Triest Press registered as a CLG and began to really drive the business forward. Since then, the business has grown from strength to strength and has expanded its product offering, workforce, and customer base ever since.

2. What is your USP now? How do you get that message across to your customers?

Triest Press blend traditional print methods such as hand finishing and letterpress printing along with modern digital processes. This gives the customer a quality final product that is produced on some of the best production machines on the market but with a human touch that is bespoke and unique to that which is offered on the commercial market. We also offer a wide range of environmentally friendly card and paper printed digitally which is the greenest form of print. It is then packed away in our repurposed packaging material. Our environmentally friendly products and social impact is what’s sets us apart from the crowd.

3. How is being based in Roscommon an asset to the business?

In recent years, we have expanded our customer reach to a national one. Roscommon being in the midlands of Ireland makes it an ideal location to ship our products throughout the country. We are only an hour and a half from Dublin and an hour from Galway which makes tapping into those markets accessible.

4. With such a high proportion of your workforce having a disability, do you have any success stories you can tell us about employees that have started with you and gone on to enjoy a career in publishing?

We have very little staff turn over in Triest Press. Staff that have left, done so due to health reasons or retirement. However, we have many success stories within Triest Press such as, some staff members that once needed a support assistant and mentorship are now working as support staff and mentors to newer staff members. There are growth opportunities within Triest Press that is encouraged and often sought out by employees.

5. If a company was interested in employing someone from your organisation, what should they know and how would you advise them?

We have recently introduced a paid, integrated training program within Triest Press whereby participants will gain a block of two years’ work experience and skills training and at the end of their training term we will support them into finding jobs that meet their career goals.

We often use our platform to educate and encourage employers to be more inclusive in their recruitment processes. As part of that we highlight how highly skilled and qualified our supported staff members are. They are an integral part of our production processes and have lent their unique perspectives to creative problem solving, ideation and improving our culture. Their dedication and work ethic have been an asset to Triest Press and an absolute contributor to our success. Interested employers/recruiters can reach out to Deborah@triestpress.ie for information, support and with open vacancies.

6. If someone was interested in joining your organisation, how would you go about joining? What’s the onboarding procedure like?

We know that people with intellectual disabilities still struggle to find meaningful employment in today’s labour climate because we are constantly inundated with enquiries for vacancies. So many, in fact, that we can’t possibly give opportunity to everyone. The majority of our current workforce come to us come through support agencies such as Employability, Work Links and Brothers of Charity Services. They are sometimes placed on a waiting list until we have the capacity to provide a new placement. They would complete a 7-week work placement where we can carry out skills assessments and ascertain the individual needs of the person. At the end of the 7 weeks the participant will take part in an interview process and if successful will be inducted and given a uniform, employee handbook, assigned a mentor and can begin active work tasks.

7. What are some of your favourite case studies from businesses you’ve worked with?

We’re big fans of Specialisterne Ireland who are breaking boundaries every day in their mission to carve professional opportunities for skilled people who are neurodivergent. Here’s a case study of the work they do: https://www.accesseurope.ie/organisation/specialisterne-ireland

8. How did the pandemic affect the organisation and your community? Are there any positives you can take from this time?

We felt the impact of lockdowns as much as anyone else. Our staff were out of sorts, our traded income took a hit and we had to adapt quickly. On the flip side of that, it gave us time and we utilised that time to reorganise, strategize and identify new opportunities. We made our digital presence known by updating our website to include an ecommerce section, we rolled out a social media campaign and we networked through Zoom with other social enterprises throughout Ireland to share information and resources but mostly just to have community support which went a long way in getting through the tough times. The reprieve from the fast paced daily dealings also gave us time to open our second branch of Triest Press in Castlerea where 10 news supported staff and trainees joined our team and have grown from strength to strength ever since.

9. If someone is reading this and is interested in becoming a client, what should they do?

Reach out by phone (090 662 7500), email (info@triestpress.ie) or pop into to see us. We’re ready to answer your questions, help tease out an idea and provide you with a competitive quote. Every purchase made with Triest Press goes towards creating more meaningful employment opportunities.

10. Are there any other organisations in Ireland that you’re a big fan of?

We are huge fans of what organisations like Rethink Ireland, Social Impact Ireland and SERI (Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland) for what they are doing for the third sector landscape in Ireland. They’ve redesigned how people view SE’s and they’ve lent their expertise to social enterprise drivers in order to teach, support and create road maps for success.