North and north-east companies shine at Celebrating Small Business Awards

A clutch of north and north-east companies were winners of Scotland’s Celebrating Small Business Awards at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel this week.

Under the umbrella of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the awards saw Gairloch-based The Badachro Distillery walk away with the Exporter of the Year Award, while Oyne’s AS Mosley won the Business & Product Innovation Award.

Aberdam Dutch Fries was crowned Start-up Business of the Year.

HR Hub Plus brought the Service Excellence Award home to Aberdeen and Newburgh-based KR Group were winners of the Community Award.

The Badachro Distillery, established in 2016 in a garden shed, has expanded and today makes small-batch artisan whisky, gin and vodka and employs a production, sales and marketing team of 10.

Badachro Distillery lies three miles off the North Coast 500 route and receives a significant passing number of visitors wanting to take advantage of the free tasting on offer.

Distillery managing director Gordon Quinn returned unwell from a recent sales mission to India and his shoes at the Final were filled by son, Sean, who is a final year physics student at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University.

AS Mosley owner Andrew Mosley said: “We’re (pleased) to be recognised for our WellScreen tool, as well as our digital twin work. WellScreen has taken more than five years to develop and it’s having a huge impact on our industry and literally saving operators hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

Specialising in loaded Dutch fries and ‘smashed” burgers,’ Aberdam has enjoyed strong growth since its start-up in 2021 turning over £600,000 in its first year.

Since 2018 HR Hub Plus has supported small and medium sized businesses with various professional services.

From a company which started with zero clients it has become a professional service provider that has supported more than 100 organisations with HR solutions.

KR Group operates locally and nationally with clients in a variety of sectors including commercial, agricultural, domestic, oil and gas, renewables, nuclear, education, food / drink and the public sector.

Its divisions, KR Steel, KR Cladding and KR Solutions can offer a turnkey solutions.

The Federation of Small Businesses’ Highlands & Islands Development Manager, David Richardson said: “I’m (pleased) Badachro Distillery has won our FSB Scotland Exporter of the Year Award, for this is a business that I’ve watched grow and develop ever since it was established in 2016.

“Not only is the Badachro Distillery a great West Coast business and visitor attraction, the fact its products are being marketed and sold all over the world really does help to put Wester Ross and the Northern Highlands on the map.”

Smaller businesses key to trading our way out of economic hardship”

Mike Duncan

FSB development manager in the north-east, Mike Duncan added: “After yet another extremely challenging year for our smallest operators, it was fantastic to be able to recognise so many wonderful businesses who have thrived despite the challenges they have faced.

“We know smaller businesses will be the key to trading our way out of economic hardship and the innovation and determination we saw in the room really drove that point home.”

All 12 winners will fly the flag for Scottish entrepreneurship when they travel south of the border for the UK finals in May.

As well as competing for the UK title in their respective categories, they will have a chance of claiming the coveted title of FSB ‘Small Business of the Year’ 2023.

Micro, small and medium businesses comprise almost all enterprises in Scotland (99%), employ 1.2 million people and contribute £110bn to the economy.