Member Article

The Sweet Beet Nominated for 2018  NatWest Great British  Entrepreneur Awards

The North East based food alternative condiment firm The Sweet Beet and its Founder Lizzy Hodcroft has been shortlisted for the 2018 NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

The Sweet Beet, based in Newcastle, has fended off some tough competition in order to make the regional shortlist for the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, with a record number of businesses entering the awards nationally across the wide range of categories.

Now in its sixth year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards has celebrated some groundbreaking entrepreneurs over the years, many of whom are now household names.

Past winners include David Buttress of Just Eat, Julie Deane OBE of The Cambridge Satchel Company, James Watt of BrewDog and most recently, Hannah and Sophie Pycroft of Spectrum Collections.

Reacting to the nomination, The Sweet Beet’s founder, Lizzy Hodcroft, said: “I’m incredibly excited. It’s such a wonderful feeling to be recognised for all your hard work and perseverance. In entrepreneurship, you need to take every opportunity you can to celebrate milestones like this as it’s the perfect time to look back on your journey and how far you’ve come.

“I think I’m able to demonstrate the tenacity, focus and ambition that entrepreneurs need to find success. I’ve overcome some pretty tough times and still manage to be inspired, motivated and passionate!

“I don’t really like that the North East gets lumped into the “Northern Powerhouse” that includes larger cities like Manchester and Leeds. However, I’m thrilled to have my business recognised as one of the best in this area!”

Despite only trading for just over a year as a Limited company, The Sweet Beet has racked up a number of achievements and national acclaim for its condiment range, which is now stocked in over 90 farm and deli stores throughout the UK.

In early May 2018, The Sweet Beet received national airtime when BBC 2’s culinary expert Nigel Barden put the company’s Habanero Lime Jelly through its paces on Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show, which regularly attracts 6 million listeners. And recently doted on the condiment, using it as his “magic ingredient” for Fine Food Digest Magazine.

It has also appeared on BBC’s Farmer’s Country Showdown this year and was recently selected as Company of the Month by Food and Drink Matters Magazine.

Francesca James, Creator of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, added: “We have been inundated with some incredible entries this year, and all shortlisted applicants should be extremely proud of themselves. This year has yet again seen a record number of entrants and we’ve been absolutely blown away by the strength and diversity of applications.”

“We cannot wait to celebrate entrepreneurship across Great Britain with them, and put a spotlight on the incredible talent within the British entrepreneur ecosystem.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jane Crosby .