After a long wait, the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce finalists have been honoured at this year’s hybrid event! The event took place earlier this month in Uttoxeter on the 18th of November, 2021.
Explore all categories, finalists and winners here.
We would like to say a huge congratulations to all the superb businesses who have taken home awards this year and to those who were shortlisted. We were particularly impressed with the finalists in our category, ‘Online business of the year’. Have a read about each one below, and please join us in congratulating our worthy winner, Best of British Beer…cheers to that!
Best of British Beer ‘CATEGORY WINNER’
What is Best of British Beer?
Established in 2011, Best of British Beer are a specialist online retailer of beers and ciders created by independent, small producers. After spotting a gap in the market for customers to source beers from all over the country, Best of British Beer was born. Today, this company is nationally regarded as the UK’s longest running online craft beer retailer.
What we like about this business…
Amazingly since its inception, Best of British Beer has featured over 500 breweries, sold more than 3 million bottles of beer (that’s enough to fill 4 Olympic swimming pools) and they were proudly the very first UK company to launch a beer advent calendar. We love the fact that these calendars come in the traditional 24-day calendar and a smaller 12-day calendar making them accessible at multiple price points. If you know a beer lover, we recommend checking these out here.
At its heart, Best of British Beer allows for beer lovers across the UK to source their favourite tipple, gift a bundle to a loved one and even offer a route to market for emerging brands, something somewhat essential given the events of the last 20 months.
Finally, a focus on providing quality employment and career progression within their community sets this business apart.
Peddle & Tresstle – My Artisan Markets Ltd.
What is Pedddle?
How many times have you browsed a local market only to find something you adored but couldn’t remember the stallholder’s name to find them afterwards?
Pedddle was founded to remedy this issue once and for all. It is a directory of creative, independent events and their stallholders around the UK. So, if you can remember the name of the market you can now find the stallholder!
Pedddle enables both stallholders and customers to find UK events easily whilst providing support, promotion and publicity for those who join the site with a member subscription.
Whether you love to shop one of a kind gifts or just love the buzz of a market you canfind what you’re looking for on Pedddle.
Find out more here.
What is Tresstle?
Tresstle is a platform that allows individuals to host their own branded, curated events and/or participate in others’ events. A one-of-a-kind platform that offers another stream of income for small businesses thanks to the platform’s pay-as-you-participate based model. (Registration fees apply).
The new Tresstle website is currently under construction but you can find out more here
What we like about this business…
The online space is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use plus it capably fulfils the need for an accessible directory of stallholders and events across the UK. For the first time you can discover new market places with a simple click of the finger, whether you are at home or on holiday.
This company makes full use of the digital channels available to them, something that is entirely appreciated by the creative industry they support, plus they have set their sights on encouraging ‘hybrid markets’ across the UK. The hope is these markets will regard Pedddle and Tresstle as the go-to creative platforms for their industry.
Business progression goals aside, something else helps Pedddle and Tresstle stand out. This company is keen to support young people into work, taking full advantage of the Government’s Kickstart program. The program offers companies funding that can be utilised to offer new job roles to 16-24 year olds. Having taken on two new employees, this company is proud to say that both of those employees will be permanently working for the business going forward.
Want to know more about the Government’s Kickstart program? Find out more here.
WordUnited
What is WordUnited?
An independent publisher, bookseller and educational supplier of children’s books, award-winning toys and exceptional learning resources for children aged 0-11. This company has been trading for just 7 years and is already regarded as one of the fastest growing in the UK. Quite the achievement, we think you’ll agree.
You can find out more and explore WordUnited’s online shop here.
What we like about this business…
Even though this company’s core customers (schools and nurseries) were closed throughout the pandemic, the business managed to continue trading uninterrupted since March 2020. In fact, through diversifying their channels they managed to create new sales routes and were able to manage supply chains proactively. Stunningly this ingenuity has resulted in exceptional growth against all odds, growing from a small business of just four people in 2020 to seventeen people and upward as of today, much to the benefit of their local economy and community.
