Fell Brewery, the independent brewery based in Cumbria, has won a Green Growth Award, a national competition recognising UK small businesses leading the way in using sustainability to innovate and drive business growth.
Organised by Small Business Britain in partnership with BT, Fell Brewery was crowned a joint winner at a special event at BT’s London Headquarters on 12 March, hosted by broadcaster and sustainability advocate Ben Fogle.
Founded in Cumbria, Fell Brewery was selected alongside The Vale and Downland Museum in Oxfordshire. Both businesses had also recently featured in the Green Growth 100 line-up, which launched earlier in February to celebrate 100 UK entrepreneurs from across the country pioneering sustainable practices.
The judges named Fell Brewery a winner due to its impressive approach to sustainability and its success in embedding green growth into the heart of its operations.
Over recent years, the brewery has worked hard to reduce its environmental impact while continuing to grow the business, with sustainability becoming a key part of decision making across the company. This has included meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions, invest in more sustainable ways of working, and build long-term resilience into the business.
Both businesses will receive a £5,000 sustainability grant to further develop their green initiatives. Fell Brewery intends to use the award to further invest in its sustainability journey and support future projects that continue to reduce environmental impact across the business.
On being named as a winner, Tim Bloomer, founder and sustainability director said: “We were absolutely delighted to win one of the Green Growth Awards. Over the last few years, we’ve worked hard to put sustainability at the heart of everything we do at Fell. Having seen this result in tangible carbon reductions while strengthening our commercials, it is hugely rewarding to have that recognised nationally with this award.
It was also a fantastic opportunity to meet other businesses with similar values and we look forward to returning next year with an update on the progress we’ve made.
When asked what Fell Brewery are going to use the £5,000 grant, Tim explained: “We’re assessing a couple of options to put the prize towards. Firstly, we could repurpose an old tank as a cleaning solution recovery vessel, reducing our chemicals usage and reducing our energy consumption. Secondly, we are exploring converting our diesel van over to biofuel (HVO). We are excited to report back in the future with what we decide”.
Michelle Ovens CBE, CEO and Founder of Small Business Britain, says: “Fell Brewery truly impressed the judges and is a very deserving winner of this year’s award.
“Their commitment to embedding ‘green growth’ into their operations demonstrates how small businesses across the UK are leading the way in driving meaningful change. As always, our Green Growth winners show that sustainability is not only possible, but a powerful force for innovation.”
