Cornwall's St Ewe Wins Best Rural Food Business Award

Rural businesses from across Britain are celebrating following the Rural Business Awards 2020/21 National Final, held online for the first time due to lockdown. Jules Hudson, the BBC Escape to the Country presenter, delighted the finalists as host for the ceremony on Thursday 25th February.

The awards aim to recognise and celebrate the successes of businesses operating in the UK’s rural economy; a sector which in England alone contributes £261bn to the nation’s GVA (Gross Value Added) – nearly a fifth of the country’s total economic activity[1].

“It’s an honour to support the Rural Business Awards’ efforts to showcase the incredible talent of British rural business,” said John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. “On behalf of Amazon, I would like to congratulate St Ewe Free Range Eggs on this achievement, and I wish them further success in the future.”

Twelve category winners, including a new Sustainability and Environmental Impact Award category, and six additional “Triumph Over Adversity” winners, were announced, following a record number of entrants and a competitive shortlist process. The winner of the Best Rural Food Business was Cornwall-based business, St Ewe Free Range Eggs.

A Love of Eggs. A Passion for Welfare. An Obsession for Good Food & Nutrition. St Ewe Free Range Eggs are a multi-award winning free-range egg producer and packer hailing from Cornwall in the South West of England.

They have been farming for over 40 years. With family values at their heart and nutrition at their core, they have wholeheartedly dedicated themselves to producing an egg for everybody, by developing unique brands, being mindful of their impact on the environment and always making sure their hens’ welfare comes first!

Nikki Owen, Head of Marketing at St Ewe, said: “We are incredibly honoured and feel very humbled to have been awarded the title of Best Rural Food Business, especially poignant following one of the hardest years for rural businesses across the country.

Our success is not just down to us, but our amazing team, producer farms, suppliers and loyal customers without whom we wouldn’t be able to develop and grow as a rural business. The unwavering support and positivity we have received from the local community this past year has been truly staggering and we just want to take this opportunity to thank everybody that has played their part.”

Founded by rural-based business women, Jemma Clifford and Anna Price, the Rural Business Awards are backed by Amazon and judged by an independent panel, drawn from the rural business sector, rural public sector agencies, and rural charitable organisations.

Jemma Clifford, Director and Co-Founder of The Rural Business Awards, said: “The last year has been tough for all rural businesses, but we remain amazed at the high calibre of entries to the RBAs and this has certainly continued in the 2020/21 year. The judges had a real challenge on their hands when picking the winners and every business shortlisted should be very proud of their achievement of reaching the National Final. Our winners have all shown great determination and have bright futures ahead – on behalf of everyone at the Rural Business Awards we congratulate them all.”

[1] House of Lords library note, Rural Economy and UK Agriculture: Issues for the New Parliament (January, 2020)