Danilly Carvalho, who is originally from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, set up IPERA at her home in Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, in June 2024.
Danilly has lived in Ireland for 12 years. Before starting the business, Danilly, who has a legal qualification, worked in law firms in Brazil and Ireland, and as an administrator with the Brothers of Charity.
IPERA is a beauty and skincare brand that offers products designed to support women going through hormonal changes, particularly around menopause, perimenopause and intimate care.
“ACORNS helped me to set clearer goals, focus on manageable steps and stay accountable during the rebrand”
Danilly is a graduate of the ACORNS rural women entrepreneurship programme. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme, generating 60 jobs. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
Care to feel better
The idea for IPERA began during Covid, when Danilly’s mother was visiting from Brazil and experiencing perimenopause. Wanting to help her feel better, Danilly completed courses in nutrition and cosmetic formulation and began developing products. Her mother tried them, felt better after a few weeks, and Danilly then shared them with friends and family.
Danilly applied for New Frontiers in late 2023, using the programme to validate the market, refine her product fit and gather feedback. She then began building relationships with retailers and distributors.
Originally Danilly called the brand Talamh Natural, with Talamh, the Irish for earth, being a homage to her adopted country, but international clients struggled to pronounce it, so she rebranded as IPERA to honour her Brazilian roots – the Yellow Ipê tree is the national flower of Brazil. IPERA is now stocked in more than 100 stores in Ireland and exports to Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Serbia and Germany.
Danilly says key milestones for the business include the rebrand, winning the Google You’re the Business Award for Co Clare, becoming a Google Gemini case study and winning Best Natural Product at the EVOKE Wellness Awards for Hydra V Intimate Oil.
“ACORNS helped me to set clearer goals, focus on manageable steps and stay accountable during the rebrand.”
Danilly’s plans include applying for Enterprise Ireland pre-seed funding and launching IPERA in Switzerland.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who founded IPERA? | Danilly Carvalho |
| What is IPERA? | An Irish beauty, skincare and women’s wellness brand focused on menopause, perimenopause and intimate care. |
| Where is IPERA based? | Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, Ireland. |
| When was IPERA founded? | June 2024. |
| What products does IPERA offer? | Skincare and intimate care products designed to support women experiencing hormonal changes, menopause and perimenopause. |
| What inspired the creation of IPERA? | Danilly Carvalho developed products to help her mother manage perimenopause symptoms during the Covid period. |
| What was IPERA originally called? | Talamh Natural. |
| Why did IPERA rebrand? | International customers found the original name difficult to pronounce. |
| What does the name IPERA mean? | It is inspired by the Yellow Ipê tree, the national flower of Brazil. |
| How many stores stock IPERA products? | More than 100 stores across Ireland. |
| Which countries does IPERA export to? | Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Serbia and Germany. |
| What entrepreneur support programmes helped IPERA? | New Frontiers and ACORNS. |
| How did New Frontiers help the business? | It helped validate the market, refine product-market fit and gather customer feedback. |
| How did ACORNS help the founder? | It helped set clearer goals, improve focus and maintain accountability during the rebrand. |
| What awards has IPERA won? | Google You’re the Business Award for Co Clare and Best Natural Product at the EVOKE Wellness Awards. |
| Which IPERA product won an award? | Hydra V Intimate Oil won Best Natural Product at the EVOKE Wellness Awards. |
| What is Danilly Carvalho’s professional background? | Danilly has a legal qualification and worked in law firms in Brazil and Ireland before becoming an entrepreneur. |
| What recognition has IPERA received from Google? | The business won the Google You’re the Business Award for Co Clare and became a Google Gemini case study. |
| What are IPERA’s future plans? | To apply for Enterprise Ireland pre-seed funding and expand into Switzerland. |
| How has IPERA grown since launch? | The business has expanded from a home-based startup in Co Clare to being stocked in more than 100 Irish stores and exporting internationally. |
Do you have what it takes to join ACORNS?
Applications have opened for ACORNS 12, the next phase of the programme for early-stage female business founders.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
ACORNS 12 will run from October 2026 to April 2027 and is open to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023. Up to 50 places are available. Participation is free of charge, supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of Lead Entrepreneurs from across rural Ireland.
This year’s Lead Entrepreneurs include Alison Ritchie of Polar Ice, Geraldine Jones of Skin Formulas, Karen Kerrigan of Kerrigan’s Mushrooms, Larissa Feeney of Kinore, Mary B Walsh of Ire Wel Pallets, Orla Leahy of Ireland Chauffeur Travel and Triona MacGiolla Rí of Aró Digital Strategies.
Applications for ACORNS 12 will remain open until midnight on September 18. To apply, click here
Eligibility Criteria for participation on ACORNS
To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023 or be actively planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.
- They must own or part-own the business and be living in a rural area, that is in an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
- If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch Forum and first round table session on October 19 and 20, 2026.
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
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