A sustainability-driven Somerset tree, plant and seed provider has beaten a huge amount of other entries to scoop the prestigious title of best micro business in the South West.
The winning company, Habitat Aid Limited, of Bruton, was one of 14 businesses and individuals from the county to the shortlisted for success across 12 categories at the FSB South West ‘Celebrating Small Business Awards’ at the regional final in Weston-super-Mare.
Nick Mann, of Habitat, said he hoped that scooping the regional FSB award would help further raise awareness of the company’s passionate belief in the importance of biodiversity.
“This is incredibly helpful as we are trying really hard to do something concrete about biodiversity and it is lovely to get some endorsement for what we are trying to do. It was a genuine surprise to win especially when you looked at the quality of the shortlist and the eclectic group of business on it.”
Habitat Aid will now have the opportunity to try to win the national FSB micro business title when they join all the other regional winners in Birmingham in May for the UK final.
The other Somerset businesses who had been shortlisted for success on the day were Space Adventurers (Taunton), Torre Cider (Washford, Watchet), Little Adventurers Nurseries of Bridgwater, Ocean Adventurers of Cheddar, Top of the Clops (Wellington), Hub Weston/The Stable (Weston-super-Mare), S F Enterprises (Yeovil), Hullabaloos Lemonade (Loxton), New Leaf Design (Taunton), Myles Bates-Durbin of Bates Product Design in Weston-super-Mare, Petruth Paddocks of Cheddar, Donate IT CC of Wincanton and Enhanced Primary Care from Street who had earned three nominations.
Lee Nathan, the FSB Regional Chairman for the South West, said both the quality and quantity of the region’s entries this year had stunned the judges.
“Entries flooded in from all across our area from Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire, Bath, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Devon and even picking regional shortlists for the categories was a nightmare for our judges let alone actually picking the winners.
“This was our unique chance to showcase what we all truly believe – that the South West has the best, most innovative and most creative small businesses in the whole of the UK,” he said.
Sponsorship for the event came from Reach plc, NatWest, Tyl by NatWest, Aldermore, FSB Insurance, Weston College, Renishaw, Lexus Bristol and Gravity.
