Dairy firm milking it as winner of King’s Award for enterprise
ADAIRY business, an organic skincare brand and a carbon capture technology firm are among the South West winners of the King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024.
A total of 17 companies from across the region were presented with the prestigious accolade this year. Businesses are selected for outstanding achievements in innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. The award is valid for five years.
Among the winners in the West of England is Devon-based Millbrook Dairy which scooped its first King’s Award for international trade.
The dairy, in Bideford, was founded in 2019 by David Evans and Kevin Beer, who had worked together for more than 30 years. The business buys and sells cheese and butter, and in its first year of trading turned over £15m, outperforming its initial expectations by more than 500%. By 2023 Millbrook had achieved a turnover of over £42m.
The company’s overseas sales have grown over three years by 109%, with Millbrook now operating across Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia-Pacific.
“When we started on our journey in 2019, we never thought the business would grow in the way it has and especially during the turbulent trading periods that have been in place,” said Mr Beer and Mr Evans.
“For us, winning a King’s Award for Enterprise and being recognised by the highest business awards in the land is a remarkable achievement and a very big honour.”
Bristol-based carbon capture specialists OCO Technology were also among this year’s South West winners.
The £30m-turnover firm, which employs 120 people around the UK, was presented with an award for sustainable development.
The company’s pioneering tech treats air pollution control residues, predominantly from energy from waste facilities, with carbon dioxide gas. The process transforms it into an artificial aggregate which is carbon negative.
The firm’s Avonmouth plant, established in 2015, employs 40 people and is home to the company’s main research and development laboratories, and its manufacturing line which has the capacity to process up to 60,000 tonnes of residues a year.
OCO Technology’s chief executive Steve Greig, said: “We are hugely proud to be awarded such a prestigious honour, cementing our reputation as the clear UK market leader in carbon mineralisation.
“To have our hard work acknowledged at the highest level is incredibly rewarding and we look forward to flying the flag for British success and the circular economy as we continue to develop our partnerships on the world stage.”
Cornwall skincare brand Made for Life Organics, which was established in 2003, was presented with an award for sustainable development. Amanda Winwood, founder of the Trurobased business, said it was “incredible” to win the accolade.
“We are absolutely delighted to receive the highly prestigious King’s Award for Sustainable Development,” she said.
“The Made for Life team have always been very proud of what we have achieved - both in terms of looking after the planet and people’s wellbeing. This award proves that the Kings Awards are inclusive and that you don’t have to be huge in number to be great and change lives for the better.”
Meanwhile, Bristol-based video tech firm One Big Circle was recognised for excellence in innovation. Based next to Temple Meads station, the company was founded in 2017 by Emily Kent, Barnaby Kent, Ian Packer and Sam Low.
Now a team of more than 50, the firm’s intelligent video system is used across the UK railway by Network Rail, Transport for Wales and multiple operators, to carry out inspections in a bid to improve worker safety and help trains run more smoothly.
Ms Kent said: “It is a momentous achievement to be awarded the accolade of King’s Award for Enterprise and is a fantastic reflection on our team who have worked so hard on delivering innovation with and for the UK Rail Industry.
“From our first idea and initial deployment, to now being trusted partners of the industry with thousands of people using the technology every day, it really is a real demonstration of how SMEs can thrive in the UK.”