Staff at companies across the East Midlands were celebrating today after collecting Queens Awards for their hard work and success.
Snack manufacturers, sportswear companies and cooking tech businesses were among the recipients announced by the government today.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise have been handed out every year since 1966, and go to companies from across the country that excel at international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting opportunity through social mobility.
If a business wins, directors are invited to a Royal reception and presented with the award at their company by one of The Queen’s representatives, a Lord-Lieutenant.
The business is also able to fly The Queen’s Awards flag at their main office and use the emblem on marketing materials such as packaging, advertisements, stationery and website.
The company is also given a Grant of Appointment, an official certificate, and a commemorative crystal trophy.
This year’s regional winners included two companies which have each picked up two awards.
The 2021 East Midlands winners are:
Cofresh (Lakshmi and Sons), Leicester - For International Trade
Lakshmi & Sons, trading as Cofresh Snack Foods, is based in Leicester and has been making its range of snacks including Bombay mix since 2002.
It has 220 full time employees, making more than 200 different combinations of traditional and authentic Indian savoury snacks as well as the Eat Real brand launched in 2015 with a range of vegan and free from snacks.
Overseas sales has grown almost eight fold in the last six years, and the business exports to more than 50 countries including Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Dubai, China, South Africa and Mexico.
It has won the Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding continuous growth in overseas sales over the last six years.
Managing director Priyesh Patel said: “Our success hasn’t happened overnight – this is a culmination of years of hard work and I’m incredibly proud of what our team has managed to achieve.
“This award is for them and an acknowledgement of their ingenuity, work ethic, and unwavering support.
“We’re excited to build on this and grow our international presence further in the future.”
HUUB Limited, Derby - For Innovation
Since 2011, Derby-based Huub has been revolutionising the market with its triathlon and open-water swimming wetsuits and tri-suits.
The wetsuit market had become stagnant, seeing little to no development of products and the products available were not meeting the needs of elite swimmers and growing numbers of triathletes.
The company tested and created a number of new products that considered the specific needs of both elite swimmers and triathletes to create products that enabled the desired flexibility and buoyancy requirements that deliver huge efficiency gains to athletes.
HUUB founder Dean Jackson said: “To be recognised in the Queen’s Awards really is amazing.
“I would never have dreamed when starting this business on my kitchen table nine years ago that we would be recognised for what really makes HUUB special ... our innovation.“
Woolroom, Rutland - For International Trade
Woolroom is based in Oakland, Rutland and started trading in 2008.
It is a specialist homewares retailer involved in the design and development of woollen bedroom products such as duvets, pillows, protectors and toppers, throws and cushions and baby bedding.
It also designs and manufactures organic cotton bed linen, with its products sold through shops, business to business and online in the Ƶ and North America.
Overseas sales have grown more than five-fold in three years with customers in the United States, Iceland, Canada, Ireland and France.
North America proved successful with weak competition and yet an appetite for wellbeing products, particularly on the West Coast.
The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding short term growth in overseas sales over the last three years.
Apption Labs, Leicester - Two Awards For Innovation and International Trade
Established in 2015, Leicester based Apption Labs Ltd is a technology start-up dedicated to developing smarter consumer products connected to the Internet and controlled by mobile devices.
The company has developed a wireless smart meat thermometer that is small and goes in the oven to advice on cook time remaining.
The company has patents for the temperature sensor and time estimation technologies.
The product, named MEATER, is powered by a rechargeable battery and connects to smartphones via Bluetooth.
The charging case acts as a signal repeater, extending wireless coverage from 10m to 50m.
MEATER pairs to a mobile app which enables additional functionality including recording previous cooks, enabling the user to reflect upon and improve, or repeat, their meat recipes.
M Mover Holdings, Ashbourne, Derbyshire - For International Trade
M-Mover Holdings started trading in 2009, making electric machines which improve safety and efficiency when handling heavy rolling loads in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage production, retail and logistics sectors.
The company has subsidiaries in each of its top tier export markets of USA, France and Germany, while second tier territories have sales managers, selling through a global partner network, either territorially or sector focused.
Its top five overseas markets are the USA, Germany, France, Spain and Czech Republic.
Overseas sales have grown by 227 per cent over the last six years and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 59 per cent of total sales.
The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding continuous growth in overseas sales over the last six years.
InSight Analytics Solutions, trading as ONYX InSight, Nottingham - Two Awards for International Trade and Innovation
InSight Analytics Solutions – trading as ONYX InSight – started in 2016, and provides cloud-based analytics software, advanced sensor solutions, engineering services and consultancy for the maintenance and remote monitoring in the wind energy industry.
The Ƶ is a global leader in offshore wind, however monitoring is only 16 per cent of the global market so the business invested in sales, innovation and R&D to exploit new markets.
As a result, their overseas sales have doubled in three years with customers in the United States, South Korea, Australia, Canada and Japan.
To remain industry leaders, it is developing new analytics capability in artificial intelligence and machine learning of wind farm data generated by each wind turbine control system.
Growth plans focus on technology development, geographic expansion and increased sales to wind turbine original equipment manufacturers.
IVC Brunel Healthcare Manufacturing, Swadlincote, Derbyshire - For International Trade
IVC Brunel Healthcare started trading in 2002, and is now the Ƶ market leader in food supplements.
It markets to Europe, the Middle East and Australia through trade fairs and a network of export agents.
Where proprietary brands dominate the market IVC Brunel develops a small number of relationships with brand owners, offering contract manufacturing.
For markets led by private labels, IVC Brunel approaches the largest retail chains to supply their product ranges.
Overseas sales have grown by 61 per cent over the three year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 21 per cent of total sales.
The company wins the Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding short term growth.
Total Saddle Solutions, Worksop, Derbyshire - For Innovation
Total Saddle Solutions has been making horse riding saddles since 2006.
Saddle design has remained largely unchallenged ever since people began riding horses and the company has developed a new design.
The SMART saddle is a fully flexible sports saddle designed to improve horse and rider welfare, performance, and safety.
It was designed with the aid of 3D scanning, pressure mapping systems, and CAD modelling to create a saddle that offered flexibility to both horse and rider.
The structure and assembly process is totally unique to the SMART saddle range and is not derived from skills already held by traditional saddle makers.
Technical aspects of the saddle are protected by a family of five patents and the SMART saddle is approved by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for competition in all disciplines.
Farrington Oils Ltd, Northants - For Sustainable Development
Farrington Oils, established in 2005, makes cold pressed rapeseed oil products. It employs 14 people and the rape seed is farmed and manufactured in Hargrave, Northamptonshire.
From the start it has been dedicated to sustainable farming principles, with the rapeseed oil grown to LEAF Marque standards.
Recent commitments to carbon and plastic neutrality demonstrate a progressive approach to sustainability for a small company.
Inzpire, Lincoln - For Innovation
Formed in 2005, Inzpire supplies defence managed services and mission systems.
It is a trusted supplier of the Ƶ Ministry of Defence and was awarded a Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2015.
QinetiQ Group PLC purchased 85 per cent of the share capital of the company in November 2018.
The company has created a Mission Support System (MSS) product, named GECO MSS, that seamlessly supports military aircrew through all phases of their mission.
It is the only SME to have ever secured a Ƶ Ministry of Defence contract for such a system.
Novametrics, Derby - For International Trade
Established in Derby in 2016, Novametrics is a data analysis and knowledge management consultancy that works with UN agencies, academic institutions, government departments and non-governmental organisations to help them understand and communicate research evidence and to make better decisions.
It has collaborated on key initiatives with bodies such as the United Nations Population Fund, World Health Organisation, the International Confederation of Midwives, and Save the Children.
Over the last three years overseas sales have grown by 189 per cent, and the proportion exported has also risen from 83 per cent to 95 per cent.
EarthSense Systems Limited, Leicester - For Innovation
EarthSense Systems is a Leicester business that started trading in 2016.
Its award is for an innovative air quality service that combines hardware and software, which provides insight into air pollution with a level of detail that has previously been unavailable.
Provided through a subscription model, the system gives a user the hardware to measure pollution called the Zephyr, a small form air quality sensor.
The sensors connect by phone signal to a central highly sophisticated global air pollution model called MappAir, which customers’ access through an online portal called MyAir.
The market for air quality monitoring was established and mainly delivered by specialist consulting companies.
EarthSense Systems has introduced disruptive technology enabling monitoring coupled with integrated modelling at street scale and coupled with data delivery models for rapid decision making.
G. H. Hurt & Son, Nottingham - For International Trade
G. H. Hurt & Son is based in Chilwell, Nottingham and started trading in 1912.
It designs and manufactures shawls, scarves and knitted lace accessories with a baby knitwear collection and an adult knitwear collection.
With manufacturing moving to low cost economies, it took the approach of adding value by remaining a design-led, premium manufacturer of quality, higher value products.
Moving away from the high street, it sells direct to consumers and has invested in its visual and design identify and in digital marketing.
Overseas sales more than doubled in the last three years with customers in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia.
To deliver this growth it invested in market research with Ƶ Fashion and Textiles and attended a trade mission to Australia supported by the Department for International Trade.
