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Three East Lothian entrepreneurs announced as Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022 finalists

11th July 2022

Three East Lothian businesses have been recognised as some of the best in the business after being named as finalists in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Raven Botanicals skincare, The Cheese Lady and Minato Sushi have been selected from over 5,300 entrants across the UK.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, acknowledge and champion the hard work and uplifting stories of business owners across the UK, with an emphasis on their journey and resilience over financial achievements.

Twelve awards will be given out per region for categories including Disruptor of the Year, Entrepreneur for Good Award, and the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year. Notable winners from previous years include Social Chain founder Steven Bartlett, who went on to become the youngest ever investor on BBC’s Dragon’s Den.

Raven Botanicals

Gifford-based Raven Botanicals is an award-winning skincare brand inspired by the rich heritage of the natural landscape. Galvanized by their mother’s encyclopedic knowledge of plants and a free-range childhood in rural Scotland, sisters Arabella and Charlotte Harvey turned their passion for plant-based potions into a small business at the height of the pandemic.

“We’re thrilled with the recognition! Building a sustainable beauty business in a way that matches our ethical, social and environmental principles does come with its challenges and support like this is so encouraging to keep growing the business and making our magical skincare products.”

Minato Sushi

Minato Sushi is an East Lothian based sushi delivery company with a unit on Haddington High Street providing a range of freshly made sushi, including vegetarian options alongside gyoza, rice bowls and desserts. 

Jen Kerr, co-founder of Minato Sushi comments “It’s been great to have our hard work recognised by the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, and gives us more motivation to keep improving and working towards future growth. It’s also great seeing other East Lothian businesses shortlisted too!” 

The Cheese Lady

The Cheese Lady is an award-winning specialist cheese shop in Haddington. Founder Svetlana Kukharchuk, author of Amazon-bestseller “Cheese Connoisseur’s Handbook”, is a professional cheesemonger, maturer and educator with over 15 years of experience.

“Being shortlisted as a finalist is a huge honour for us. It is especially nice to be one of three East Lothian finalists and hopefully we can shine a light on our beautiful region where so many exciting things are happening when it comes to entrepreneurship and artisan food and drink.” 

This year’s awards will also feature a new award highlighting the organisations investing in the training and development of young people. The John Caudwell Blaze Your Own Trail Award looks to recognise outstanding examples of businesses offering apprenticeships, vocational training, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, all in the name of improving young people’s access to work.

The winners will be announced at a Grand Final, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 21st November.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. The alumni has collectively generated over £30 billion in revenue and employed more than 450,000 people. 

To mark the milestone year for the programme, entrants will have the chance to win over £30,000 worth of marketing support and a tree will be planted for every application submitted with the support of Ecologi

Founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca James, said the quality of this year’s entrants exemplified the strength of entrepreneurship across the UK: “The quality of applications is consistently excellent year on year, but we have been especially blown away by the innovation, drive and determination demonstrated this year. Shortlisting from so many inspiring contenders has been more challenging than ever, with many deserving cases put forward and an ever-growing business community thriving across the country. 

“From the pandemic to the ongoing cost of living crisis, business owners haven’t had it easy over the past few years, but it’s a testament to the tenacity and perseverance of these entrepreneurs that they have continued on their path and refused to give in. 

“This year’s finalists should be so proud of what they’ve already achieved both in business and in being shortlisted for an award - we’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the Finals and unveiling the winners!” 

Anne Boden MBE, Founder of Starling Bank, headline partner of the Awards, said: "Congratulations to all those businesses who have made the shortlist. It's great to see the passion, resilience and amazing ingenuity from entrepreneurs across so many categories." 

For the full list of finalists, visit greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com

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