The Small Business of the Year finalists have been announced for the EDP Business Awards 2024. Here, we find out more about what makes these Norfolk businesses stand out.
Azure Outdoor Living
Azure Outdoor Living in Dereham specialises in luxury outdoor living solutions and bespoke glazing systems.
With over 50 years of combined industry experience, the team serves clients across the UK. Its product range includes louvred roofs, glass rooms and verandas, doors and windows, all with a wide array of materials and styles to choose from.
Additionally, it offers specialised solutions for shading, spa and pool enclosures, and various other outdoor structures.
The team collaborates closely with architects, developers and builders to provide a complete service.
The judges were pleased to see a “forward looking and innovative outlook” at Azure, and praised its “entrepreneurial and opportunistic leader”. They said that Azure is “well placed to continue its rapid growth over the coming years”.
Barsham Brewery
Barsham Brewery on the West Barsham Estate, near Fakenham, has been brewing craft beers and ales since 2012.
The estate’s top-quality agricultural soil coupled with Norfolk’s sea air and a unique micro-climate creates the ideal environment to grow Barsham Brewery’s Maris Otter barley, along with a range of other crops.
The barley is malted just down the road before being blended with water from the estate’s own bore hole and hop varieties from around the world to create award-winning beers and ales.
Noting Barsham Brewery’s investment into new facilities to allow for growth and innovation, alongside its strong partnerships with others, the judges said that it was great to see the “grain to glass ethos of the business really come to life”.
Image Experiential
Norwich-based marketing agency Image Experiential has been creating exhibition stands and brand experiences for over 30 years.
Its team of marketers, designers, creators and fabricators provide a true ‘end to end’ service that has taken the business across the globe.
Beginning in the world of signage, graphics and print, Image Experiential is now trusted by a wide variety of clientele to make events a less stressful, more successful and sustainable part of marketing for the future.
The judges said the business has “evolved rapidly” in recent years under managing director Alex Cosham’s leadership, and called Image Experiential a “strong business with a loyal and growing client base – something that is not always a given in a commodified market”.
Triple Bottom Line Accounting
Triple Bottom Line Accounting (TBLA) in Norwich is a B-Corp accountancy practice integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles into its services.
Founded in 2009, the firm offers a comprehensive range of traditional accounting services alongside innovative sustainability-focused offerings from one of Europe’s greenest buildings at the University of East Anglia.
The firm serves clients across the UK in environmental and social sectors while also educating and empowering other businesses to adopt sustainable practices. A key initiative is ongoing staff education in ESG, including carbon accounting training.
The judges commended TBLA’s “clear mission and purpose” as well as its impressive growth. They said the group “walks the walk on purpose and has centred the business around this” doing a great deal to further its purpose.
To find out more about the EDP Business Awards 2024 and book your tickets for the awards ceremony on November 28 at the Norfolk Showground, visit edpbusinessawards.co.uk
To find out more about all the finalists, please click here.
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