Even in a year like 2021, with all its upheavals, there have been businesses that have risen to the challenge. So here we look at a delightful dozen Cornwall-based businesses that showed their mettle in a Covid-disrupted year and won important awards.
Kensa Group
The Kensa Group was awarded the 2021 Environment Project Award at the Cornwall Manufacturing Awards and followed this honour with the Ashden Award for 海角视频 Climate Innovation at COP26.
The Cornwall Manufacturing Awards were hosted at Eden in Cornwall. Kensa won with its project in partnership with Davey and Gilbert of Penzance and the Children’s Sailing Trust, helping children with special educational needs and disabilities since 1997. The project on Trevassack Lake provides adapted facilities and accessible accommodation to enhance the Trust’s capabilities.
The 2021 Ashden Awards were announced from COP26 at a ceremony attended by the President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado. Climate solutions charity Ashden honours pioneering organisations lowering carbon emissions and building a fairer world. Winners receive grants, publicity and support to grow and replicate their innovation. It is the second time Kensa has won an Ashden Award, the first was in 2008 in the Sustainable Buildings category.
Truro-headquartered Kensa won the 海角视频 Climate Innovation Award for its commitments to the decarbonisation of heat including its approach to district heating, shared ground loop arrays. Kensa’s heating solution provides an alternative to fossil fuel heating, reducing carbon emissions whilst alleviating fuel poverty.
Prima Bakeries
The Cornish bakery business triumphed at , landing the title Best SME, in a category sponsored by Skills Hub. It came after the firm saw sales soar during the lockdown bought up a rival to create one of the largest independently-owned pasty producers in the 海角视频.
Redruth’s Prima Bakeries acquired St Columb-based Cornish Premier Pasties Ltd in a transaction for which financial details have not been disclosed. But it does mean the combined business now contains more than 150 full-time staff and has more than 600 customers spread throughout the 海角视频.
Both companies have grown significantly in the past few years and the acquisition opportunity has come about because of the retirement of Cornish Premier’s well-known owners Frank Bradshaw and Fiona Rick.
Sharp’s Brewery
Most Read
Rock-based Sharp’s Brewery’s Atlantic Cask was named gold medal winner in the International Cask Beer category at the International Brewing and Cider Awards 2021 and bronze medal winner for Atlantic Bottle in the International Small Pack Ale category.
The brewery team won an abundance of awards and the International Brewing Awards are one of the biggest and most established of the award bodies.
A total of 138 medal and trophy winners were announced at the competition, which took place in November at the National Brewery Centre in Burton-upon-Trent. Brewers and cider-makers from 24 countries received accolades and in total, 126 medals and 12 trophies were awarded to beers and ciders from all over the world, including entrants from Australia, China, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and the 海角视频.
The competition, which dates to 1886, has a long history of championing the world’s best brewers and cider-makers, and the competition’s unique approach to the judging process sets it apart from other awards.
Meanwhile, at the International Beer Challenge 2021 Sharp’s Brewery won six awards across three categories including; three silvers within the ale category for Atlantic Pale Ale, Sea Fury and Wolf Rock and bronze for Doom Bar in the same category.
In addition, Offshore Pilsner won bronze in the lager category and exclusive collaboration with neighbouring Camel Valley Vineyard, Sharp’s Camel Valley Pilsner also won bronze in the speciality beer classification.
The International Beer Challenge exists to reward and promote excellent beers from around the globe whilst providing brewers with a platform to promote their beers to trade and consumers.
Seasalt
Don’t miss
The Cornish fashion brand was named large business of the year at and is now predicting turnover to hit £100m after online sales jumped and helped make up for lost revenue when the Covid pandemic forced stores to close.
The fast-growing Cornish lifestyle brand said online sales had grown significantly above expectations and store sales had rebounded strongly after reopening was allowed.
Annual sales are approaching £100m already for the financial year ending January 29, 2022, with strong momentum across all channels, the Falmouth-headquartered company said.
Pityme Inn
St Austell Brewery- the independent owner of 180 pubs, inns, and hotels including tenancies and 38 managed houses across the South West - celebrated when the licensees of its tenanted pub The Pityme Inn, in St Minver, won the British Institute of Innkeeping’s (BII) Licensee Of The Year Award for 2021.
Chris and Jason Black have been strong competitors from the start and have scored highly across all areas including; mystery customer visits, web and social media audits, as well as their on-site judging visit from BII judges.
The BII Licensee of the Year competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the 海角视频. Since June 2021, operators from across the 海角视频 have been whittled down from an exceptional field of over 200 entrants to crown the BII Licensee of the Year 2021.
The team from the Pityme Inn picked up their winner’s trophy in front of an audience of 900 people at this year’s BII Winter Event, hosted in November at the Old Billingsgate, in London.
Legacy Properties
Legacy Properties won an award for best residential development in Cornwall at the 2021/2022 海角视频 Property Awards, achieving the highest possible five-star rating.
The accolade was for its development of 10 luxury homes at Woodlands on the Gannel Estuary, Newquay. A collection of four- and five-bedroom luxurious coastal homes with views over The Gannel Estuary and Crantock Beach that were designed to make the most of the location and lifestyle.
The 海角视频 Property Awards is the largest, and most widely-recognised property awards programme, covering residential and commercial developments across the world. Winners are judged for their design, quality, service, innovation, originality, and commitment to sustainability by an independent panel of more than 80 industry experts.
Natural Cornish Pet Shop
An independent pet store based in St Erth won the Gold Award for Pet Retailer of the Year at the PetQuip Awards, at PATS Telford at the International Convention Centre.
Natural Cornish Pet was also a finalist in the same category at the Pet Industry Federation Awards, held in Northampton. The Natural Cornish Pet Shop has its roots in the doggy day care business set up by owners Jordan Coombe and Katy Peck in 2014.
Based on a former 13-acre golf course their Doggy Day Care Cornwall business grew rapidly and the couple were soon faced by owners who were frustrated in their search for quality natural and raw dog food in Cornwall.
So in 2018 the pair decided to set up shop to cater for the obvious demand for quality pet foods and goods. Their carefully curated shop not only stocks a selection of raw dog food products, but is also a specialist natural pet food centre that sells wet and dry pet foods, supplements and treats to meet canine and feline nutritional needs.
Barratt Homes
An apprentice carpenter from Devon won the South West National Apprenticeship Award 2021 for his work in Cornwall. Henry Powell, who works for Barratt Homes, has also now been shortlisted as one of three national finalists for National Apprentice of the Year 2021 and will attend a glittering ceremony in London.
The 18-year-old from Plymouth is building much-needed new homes at Chapel Gate, Launceston, a development of 140 new two, three and four-bedroom homes in the sought-after Upper Chapel area.
Mr Powell joined the housebuilder in 2019 straight from school. Despite the challenges of training during the global pandemic, he has excelled at his level 2 carpentry and joinery apprenticeship to secure the coveted title of South West regional winner. He attended Saltash Community School and says he always wanted to learn a construction skill and follow in the footsteps of his grandad who was an electrician.
Barefoot Media
The Cornish communications agency won two awards at this year’s CIPR PRide Awards for the South of England and Channel Islands.
Barefoot Media, based near Wadebridge, came away with a silver award in the Small PR Consultancy of the Year category, at a virtual awards ceremony.
Following a rigorous entry and interview process, account manager Sophie Peters also won silver in the Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year category, which celebrates the achievements and performance of young professionals showing considerable promise as future leaders.
St Austell Brewery
St Austell Brewery’s flagship lager, korev, was named best International Small Pack Lager in the world, at the International Brewing Awards 2021. As well as taking home a trophy, the brewery also took home three gold medals and one silver.
Korev (4.8% abv), a lager brewed in the Helles style, scooped two gold medals for International Small Pack Lager (4.5%-4.9%) and International Keg Lager (4.5%-6.9%). It went on to be named overall champion in the International Small Pack Lager category, in which it was shortlisted alongside three other award-winning international brews.
The brewery was also awarded gold for Monterey Pale Ale, brewed by Bath Ales – which St Austell acquired in 2016 - and silver for Proper Job IPA.
Established in 1888, the International Brewing Awards provide recognition by fellow professional brewers that a beer is an outstanding commercial example of its style. Brewers and cider-makers from 24 countries received accolades - 126 medals and 12 trophies in total. There were entries from around the globe, including Australia, China, and the USA.
Meanwhile, three St Austell Brewery beers took home gold at the 2021 International Beer Challenge (IBC). The family-owned company was awarded seven accolades in total.
The list of recognised beers includes a gold in the lager category for korev. Big Job double IPA and Proper Black IPA were also awarded gold.
St Austell, established in 1851, went on to win a further four awards. Divine Intervention Abbey Quadrupel (13% abv) and Lansdown West Coast IPA, brewed by Bath Ales - which the company acquired in 2016 - took home silver. Belgian inspired brews, Cardinal Syn (7.8% abv) and Bad Habit (8.2% abv), were both awarded bronze.
The International Brewing Challenge is a globally recognised symbol of quality. With more than 600 entrants this year, from 40 countries, beers were tasted from traditional brewing nations like the 海角视频, Germany, Belgium and the USA, plus exciting emerging markets in South America and Asia.
Cornish Food Box
Redruth-based Cornish Food Box won the title of Best Rural Retailer in the South West in the Rural Business Awards, sponsored by Amazon.
The awards are the 海角视频’s most respected celebration of excellence in rural business and the family-owned business will move forward to represent the region in the national awards. Winners will be announced in February 2022.
Established in 2010, The Cornish Food Box Company works with more than 250 Cornish farmers, fishermen, bakers and food businesses. Food boxes, hampers and gifts are delivered to homes, offices and holiday accommodation across Cornwall, the 海角视频 and even internationally.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
Various Cornwall holiday parks
Several Cornwall Holidays Parks have been presented with top regional tourism awards by 海角视频 holiday giant Hoseasons.
Sea Acres in Lizard, owned by Parkdean Resorts, took home Best Family Fun destination, Mullion Cove Coastal Retreat in Helston, owned by Darwin Escapes, won Best Large Lodge Escape, Ivyleaf Combe Cottages in Bude picked up Best Small Lodge Escape and Praa Sands Holiday Park’s Boathouse Bar & Restaurant, in Penzance, was crowned Best Relax & Explore Park for its food and drink offering.
The awards were received at Hoseasons’ 15th annual Awards – a celebration of the lodge resorts, holiday parks and boating locations in the company’s 海角视频 portfolio that have achieved the highest scores in independent customer satisfaction surveys and delighted guests through exceptional holiday experiences throughout the 2021 season.