Bettys lead the way for Queens Awards for Enterprise in Yorkshire

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Tea farmers in Kenya involved in Bettys & Taylors work to plant one million trees around Mount Kenya. — Image 2 Tea farmers in Kenya involved in Bettys & Taylors work to plant one million trees around Mount Kenya.

A total of nine of the region’s firms are today listed as being in receipt of the awards as part of 176 across the nation.

Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate has been named as winner for sustainable development while Leeds-based technology firm Lhasa and Halifax-based manufacturer TSG Associates are honoured for innovation.

Elsewhere six Yorkshire winners were named for international trade, namely Bingley textile firm Bancroft Soft Furnishings, cladding firm BioClad in Harrogate, Sheffield law firm Tapestry Compliance, manufacturers Crewshield in Hull and wholesale suppliers Mobus Fabrics and Suma, both situated in Elland, West Yorkshire.

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Kenyan school children planting a tree as part of Bettys & Taylors Trees for Life project work in Kenya. This image needs to be credited to Jonathan Gregson. — Image 1 Kenyan school children planting a tree as part of Bettys & Taylors Trees for Life project work in Kenya. This image needs to be credited to Jonathan Gregson.

Established in 1965, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise celebrates the UK’s small and medium sized businesses.

Bettys & Taylors – best-known for its Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms and Yorkshire Tea - was honoured for the transformative work it has done in dealing with its global supply chain, which reaches more than one million farmers in 24 countries.

The firm works with its suppliers, helping them to become more sustainable in the face of ever-increasing challenges such as climate change and rural poverty. In Kenya alone the firm has worked with suppliers to install rainwater harvesting and filtration systems in 50 schools and community centres, bringing fresh water to 27,000 people

Keith Writer, supply director at Bettys, said: “This award is a great honour and achievement that serves to inspire and drive us to do even more in developing a thriving sustainable future for all our tea and coffee growers.”

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Coffee Buyer, Rebecca Mundy, visits school children benefitting from Bettys & Taylors rainwater harvesting project in Kenya.

Kind regards, Laura — Image 3 Coffee Buyer, Rebecca Mundy, visits school children benefitting from Bettys & Taylors rainwater harvesting project in Kenya. Kind regards, Laura

Elsewhere Harrogate’s BioClad has posted growth of 2,000 per cent since 2011 with global sales accounting for 25 per cent of its current £10m turnover. Its UK commissions

include Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and McDonalds and Costa Coffee are among its international clients. Founder and director, Lindsay McKenzie, said: “This globally-recognised and highly respected seal of approval is a powerful endorsement of our successful strategy in harnessing the wealth of international trade opportunities while successfully delivering wide-ranging domestic commissions.”

Leeds-based Lhasa, an educational charity which creates software that supports the pharmaceutical industry in bringing medicines to market earlier, is marking its second Queen’s Award in a row.

Dr Chris Barber, due to takeover as chief executive this year, said: “These awards are approved by Her Majesty The Queen and are the UK’s highest accolade for business success and innovation and we are naturally thrilled to have received this honour and recognition of our work for the second year running.

Stephen Newton, a member of Suma’s international sales team, said the award showed it can “hold its own against the big players in international trade”.