My first year building a small business in Ireland
Many people think Surprise Hamper began when I moved to Ireland in 2025.
The truth is, it started much earlier.
During my first time living in Ireland, Covid turned life upside down. Like so many others, I suddenly found myself without work. Instead of sitting around waiting for things to return to normal, my housemate and I decided to start something of our own.
That’s when Surprise Hamper was born.
We created handcrafted gift hampers for Christmas and, despite being completely new and unknown, the response was incredible. What started as an idea quickly became a real little business, proving to us that there was something special about bringing people joy through thoughtful gifts.
Eventually, Covid brought me back to Germany. But the idea of Surprise Hamper never really left me.
A few years later, in 2024, I decided it was finally time to give that dream another chance. I founded my business in Germany under the name Deine GlücksMomente Box, built around the very same idea that had first come to life in Ireland.
First Market Day Event Day Christmas Box
During that time, I also found the perfect vintage trailer. It had already travelled an incredible journey from Singapore to Germany… only to continue its adventure with me one year later.
On 14th August 2025, we both arrived in Roscrea, County Tipperary. It felt only right to give my business its original name back.
Surprise Hamper had come home. 💛
Or at least, that’s how it felt.
On 11th October 2025, I opened my trailer for the very first time in Roscrea.
I was incredibly nervous.
Would anyone come? Would people like my products? Had I made the right decision moving both my life and my business to Ireland?
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for the answers.
People came.
Some became regular customers. Others placed large Christmas hamper orders. I was invited to Roscrea’s Christmas Market, welcomed my first retail partner only a few months later, celebrated sold-out Open Trailer Days and was invited to local festivals and night markets.
But if you ask me what I’ll remember most about this first year, it won’t be any of those milestones.
It will be the people.
As a German, I was used to planning everything, double-checking everything and making sure every detail was under control.
Ireland has been teaching me something very different.
“It’ll be grand.” or "Leave it with me."
I’ll admit… it still makes me a little nervous sometimes. 😄
But over the past year I’ve realised that “It’ll be grand” doesn’t mean people don’t care.
It means people trust that they’ll figure things out together.
And that’s exactly what I’ve experienced over and over again.
People offering to help move my trailer.
Inviting me to markets.
Recommending my business.
Cheering me on.
Not because they had to… Simply because that’s what they do.
Sea Salt German Pastry German Pastry Homemade Jam
Surprise Hamper kept growing
As the months went by, something else began to happen. I realised I wasn’t just adding new products.
I was slowly creating a world around Surprise Hamper.
The Pastry Shed gave people another little way to discover my baking, even on days when my trailer wasn’t open.
I expanded my range with Joy in a Bite, bringing homemade bakes alongside Joy in a Jar.
More recently, I started sharing Joyful Thoughts on social media and created The Joy Club – a little community for people who enjoy following the journey behind the business.
Little by little, Surprise Hamper became more than a collection of products.
It became a brand built around one simple idea: Creating small moments of joy.
And that has changed the way I think about every new idea.
Now, whenever I create something new, I don’t ask myself,
“What can I sell next?”
I ask,
“Does this belong in the world of Surprise Hamper?”
Pastry Shed Pastry Shed Pastry Shed
What I’ve learned during my first year
If you’re thinking about starting a business in Ireland, here’s what I’d tell you.
Yes, there is paperwork.
You’ll need to register your business, understand taxes, organise insurance, find your way through the HSE (Health Services Executive) requirements if you’re working with food, and figure out which authority is responsible for what.
It can feel overwhelming at first.
But here’s what surprised me most.
Ireland doesn’t make you feel like you need to have everything perfect before you even begin.
Instead, it feels like people genuinely want to help you get started.
One of the biggest examples for me was learning that, under the right conditions and after registering with the HSE, you can even start a small food business from your own home kitchen.
Coming from Germany, that was something I honestly never expected.
It showed me that Ireland encourages small businesses instead of making them feel impossible.
That doesn’t mean there are no rules. There are.
But in my experience, the focus has been on helping me understand them rather than finding reasons why I couldn’t do it.
And that made all the difference.
Looking back, I don't think Surprise Hamper is the only thing that has grown over the past year.
I have , too.
I've become more confident, learned to ask for help, accepted that not everything has to be perfect and discovered that sometimes the best opportunities begin with simply saying yes.
On 15th August, it’ll be one year since I moved back to Ireland.
One year of building Surprise Hamper.
One year of learning.
One year of meeting incredible people.
One year of finding a place that truly feels like home.
Not a single day have I regretted making that decision. I still remember sitting on the plane, watching Ireland appear beneath the clouds. The moment we landed, I had one overwhelming thought:
I’m back home.
Looking back now, that feeling hasn’t changed.
If anything, it has only grown stronger.
And for that, I’ll always be grateful. 💛
Below you'll find a collection of websites and resources that guided me through my first year of building Surprise Hamper in Ireland. I hope they help you as much as they helped me.
If you have any questions about starting a small business, or if you'd simply like to share your own experience, I'd love to hear from you.
Send a Smile. Share a Moment. 💛
Marie
Thinking about starting a business in Ireland?
If you're considering taking that step yourself, I've added a few links below that helped me navigate my first steps:
Irish Tax and Customs - www.revenue.ie
Registering for tax, tax clearance, paying tax, initiatives for start-ups, licences, authorisations, importing and exporting goods. Companies and charities.
Company Registration Office Ireland - www.cro.ie
The Companies Registration Office is the central repository of public statutory information on Irish companies and business names.
Local Enterprise Office - www.localenterorise.ie
A Local Enterprise Office (LEO) is a "first-stop shop" agency that provides advice, funding, and training for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses.
Health Service Executive - www.hse.ie
The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides public health and social care services to everyone living in Ireland.
Food Safety Authority - www.fsai.ie
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland assists businesses in achieving good hygiene standards and compliance with the law.
Citizen Information - www.citizensinformationboard.ie
The Citizens Information Board is the national agency responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy on social services
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