Meet the finalists of the Scale-Up Business of the Year award, sponsored by Archant Marketing Services. This category at the Norfolk Business Awards 2021 recognises businesses that have achieved a minimum of 20% year-on-year financial growth (turnover) for the last three years, along with a growth in market share and customers.
Bread Source
Bread Source is an independent, artisan bakery based in Norfolk that specialises in simple, honest produce made using traditional techniques and high-quality ingredients. The business was founded in 2012 by the current owner and award-winning bake Steven Winter and wife Hannah.
The company employs more than 75 people across its Norwich-based production bakery, five retail/café sites and e-commerce arm – baking and producing 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The judges commented: “Bread Source was already going from strength to strength in the last couple of years, but the business scaled up significantly during the Covid pandemic, which the owners managed to really turn to their advantage despite the obvious difficulties associated with running a largely face-to-face operation during lockdown.
“Their application showed that their strong growth is based on solid foundations of exceptional customer and employee engagement, product and service innovation, and regular investment in the business.”
e-Pharmacy
e-Pharmacy is a healthtech company based in Norwich that works with third-party businesses to offer prescription medication to their customers. It allows partner brands to offer medication on their existing website or mobile app, breaking down barriers to health and reducing the burden on the NHS.
The company was founded in 2018 by Dr Oskar Wendowski and Dr Thuria Wenba, two NHS professionals looking to make a difference to patient care. It uses paperless prescriptions, fully-recyclable packaging and 100% renewable energy servers to ensure it cares for the planet while caring for patients.
The judges were impressed by the scalability of e-Pharmacy’s business model and the opportunities afforded to it by the large market in which it operates. “The owners have come up with an innovative, agile and sustainable business that is ideally placed to rapidly expand and take on new opportunities,” they commented.
Netmatters
Netmatters is a full-service digital agency with over 90 members of staff, offering expertise in software development, IT consultancy, telecoms, digital marketing, web design and cyber security. The company was founded in 2008, originally specialising in IT support and website design. It has since seen rapid growth, expanding into new locations in Cambridge, Wymondham and Great Yarmouth.
The judges commented: “Netmatters showed consistently strong growth and forecast similarly impressive financial performance in the coming years. The team could point to progressive increases in profit that are expected to continue in the coming years.
“The carefully-planned expansion into Cambridge displays the attitude of sustainable growth at the heart of the business. The owners showed that the business’s commitment to building long-term client relationships sets a strong foundation for its continued growth locally and now further afield.”
Yellow Brick Mortgages
Yellow Brick Mortgages is a whole-of-market mortgage and protection brokerage based in Norfolk. Founded by Greg Marcham and Stephen Perkins in 2018, the company has fast become of Norfolk’s largest financial brokerages with over 40 advisers, and recently expanded across East Anglia and even as far as Scotland.
By putting an emphasis on client experience, Yellow Brick Mortgages has managed to grow turnover from thousands to millions. The judges said the company’s expansion is in large part thanks to this strong commitment to customer service, as shown by its consistently market-leading online reviews, a flexible approach with its employees that allows them to attract the best consultants, and engagement with local community causes.
“The owners have plans to expand to new markets and replicate their local successes further afield,” they added.
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