Monksland company recognised at Roscommon County Enterprise Awards
Monksland-based company Dunbar Pharma has enjoyed considerable growth in its short four years of operation, now employing 30 people and confident of expanding its workforce to 45 people in the next eighteen months, as international demand continues to grow.
In recognition of this and for its stellar record of performance in the pharma sector and export ambition, the company was a recipient of the Ambition and Growth award at this year’s County Enterprise Awards, held on Monday in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone.
CEO and Founder Leah Fletcher, accompanied by her husband and co-founder James DeMello, who hails from Canada, were present at the awards ceremony, representing a company which is very much a family-run affair.
As well as Leah and James, who are engaged in the roles of CEO and Chief Financial Officer respectively, Leah’s father Paul is company Head of Facilities and Engineering while Mum Jenny is the Company Secretary.
Dunbar Pharma is a GMP manufacturer of niche active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), specialising in highly purified plant-derived cannabinoid compounds, including dronabinol, for the treatment of chronic pain and other under-served indications.
“We focus on producing highly purified, GMP-grade active ingredients and work closely with pharmaceutical manufacturers who compound them into finished medicines for patients. Germany and the UK are currently our two export markets,” says Leah.
Leah Fletcher acknowledged the strong support received from the Roscommon Local Enterprise Office (LEO), both for Dunbar Pharma and for the family’s first business, DeDANÚ, a natural skincare and wellness brand also based in Monksland. DeDANÚ rose to fame in 2025 with its viral feature in the Hollywood film Bridget Jones’s Diary.
“Roscommon LEO has provided invaluable guidance as we scaled both businesses,” said Leah. “From strategic planning to market development support, that backing has been instrumental in our growth.”
“We have proven our model, and our markets. The opportunity now is to scale responsibly. We intend to continue to grow revenues substantially and expand into new international markets while creating high-value employment locally,” says Leah.
Tully Forge, Ballaghaderreen, were the overall winners of this year’s County Enterprise Awards, whilst the Outstanding Contribition to Local Business Award went to Waldron Meats from Brideswell, the Sustainability Award went to Roscommon Town based enterprise The Upholstery Company, whilst the Social Enterprise category award winners were Triest Press