Month: May 2022

On 30 May, the hosts of the 2022 Be Inspired Business Awards (BIBAs) announced that Simply Doughnuts had been shortlisted for two categories: Green Business of the Year, and Global Business of the Year.

All entrants’ submissions are scored before the shortlisting decisions are made. In her notification email, Babs Murphy, chief executive of North & West Lancashire Chamber of Commerce wrote to say that, for each category, we were “one of the top-scoring businesses who have made the shortlist.”

Green Business of the Year

Our shortlisting in this category reflects a host of new initiatives over the last year, including:

• Investing in new plant that requires less water and produces less material waste
• Diverting 100% of waste from landfill
• Reducing road miles through supply-chain and logistics improvements
• Developing new packaging that requires less plastic
• Further extensions to product shelf-life

Global Business of the Year

We made the final this year on the basis of our recent successes in developing new export markets in Europe and the Gulf States. We are now supplying a number of well-known retail chains and we’re committed to expanding our overseas markets further, throughout this year and beyond.

The BIBAs

This year’s finals will take place on 16 September at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. More details can be found on the BIBAs website.

On Sunday 15th May 2022, we supported Muslim Hikers with a donation of doughnuts for its 130-strong group of walkers. They were climbing Cadair Idris in the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.

The group hosts organised walks in North West England, North Wales and elsewhere, and has a steadily growing membership. It promotes diversity, physical activity and an appreciation for the great outdoors, so we were naturally pleased to help.

Athlete, mountaineer and group founder, Haroon Mota thanked us for “the delicious post-trek treats” and provided the accompanying photographs.

More photos, together with  details of the group’s forthcoming walks, can be found on its website and social media platforms. (The group’s Twitter page also includes a video of the doughnuts being handed out to the walkers as they arrive back.)

On the evening of Thursday 5 May, members of the Simply Doughnuts team attended the ‘Made in the North West Awards’ at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester.

We were finalists in the Sustainable / Ethical Manufacturer award category so we were naturally delighted when the judges announced Simply Doughnuts as the winner.

Our operations manager Evita Dambrauska took to the stage to accept the award trophy, together with PA / administration manager Fatima Raja.

Fatima thanked the judges and explained that we have always made waste minimisation a cornerstone of our operations. She explained how our products’ long shelf-lives help to minimise waste, and some of the many ways in which they can help retailers to reduce their carbon footprints.

She also noted that Simply Doughnuts was continuing to set a good example in terms of its commitment to diversity, and helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop their employability skills.

Further details can be found in our previous article announcing our original shortlisting for the award.

To commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-reigning monarch, we have introduced new, special edition packaging for some of our best-known products.

Pictured, for example, is the new-edition label for our popular Classic Mini Rings, temporarily re-styled as our “Jubilee Mini Rings.”

“We’ve enjoyed introducing the new Jubilee packaging,” said Simply Doughnuts managing director, Shiraz Master. “As the recipient of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2020, we feel a definite connection with Her Majesty the Queen and we’re keen to play a part in celebrating her amazing achievement. No British monarch has reigned for longer. This is the first time in history that the country has witnessed a Platinum Jubilee, so it’s a genuine once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”

The special edition packaging should start to appear in supermarkets and other retail venues throughout May.