On 20 August, the manufacturers’ organisation, Make UK, confirmed that Simply Doughnuts was a finalist in three categories of its annual Manufacturing Awards.

We have been shortlisted by Make UK for the following regional awards:

1. Developing Future Talent
2. Business Growth and Strategy
3. The Manufacturing Impact Award

In 2024, we were a runner up in the Innovation category in the same awards programme.

This year’s winners will be announced at the North West regional dinner, which will be held on Thursday 23 October at Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley.

Interestingly, this is the same night as the finals of the Baking Industry Awards in London, where we will be hoping to be named the ‘Team of the Year’.

The organisers wrote to the various finalists, stating:

“Our judges have scoured hundreds of brilliant applications… Competition to make the next stage has been fierce, and the quality of the entries has been higher than ever.”

Details of all the winners can be found on the Make UK awards website.

On 8 August, the hosts of the Baking Industry Awards named Simply Doughnuts as a finalist in the ‘Team of the Year’ category.

As a past winner of this award (2021) we are looking forward to attending the finals on 23 October at the Royal Lancaster in London.

Our shortlisting follows a judges’ visit to our factory last month, where we were able to show the panel members our processes, and explain relevant issues such as our quality assurance systems, industry accreditations and staff development programme.

The Baking Industry Awards are in their 38th year and they exist to celebrate excellence, innovation, and dedication across the industry.

The standard of entries has reportedly been particularly high this year. Addressing the newly announced finalists, the organisers wrote:

“Congratulations on being shortlisted as a finalist in the 2025 Baking Industry Awards. Out of a highly competitive field of entries, you have risen to the top through our rigorous judging process and now you’re officially one of the best in British baking!

“This is no small feat, as our expert judges reviewed hundreds of entries in one of the most competitive years yet. Your hard work, creativity, and passion really stood out!”

A short while ago we made another of our charity ‘doughnations’ – this time in support of Eden Boys’ School in Bolton. The school planned to hold a family fun day to raise money for the Blackburn-based Shine charity, and the UK Food Poverty & Education programme.

The event took place before the end of the summer term and featured a variety of stalls, activities and entertainments. These included a chocolate fountain, dessert stall and tuck shop, where our doughnuts were a big hit.

The Shine charity aims to transform the life chances of children, young people and their families, particularly in areas of disadvantage and deprivation. It collaborates with schools and youth groups, and encourages them to play a positive role in their local communities, with children, young people, staff and volunteers working together to support those in need.

In July, we made another of our ‘doughnations’ – this time in support of St Gabriel’s CoE Primary School in Blackburn.

As part of its end-of-term activities, the school planned to put on a summer show and to organise a raffle for fundraising. We duly provided a supply of Classic Mini Ring Doughnuts, which proved to be a great success.

After the event, we received a kind message from the organisers, who said they wanted “to express our thanks for your kind donation of doughnuts to our school. It was much appreciated. We used 3 boxes towards raffle prizes and saved a box to share between the year 6 children for all their hard work on their school production. I can say they enjoyed them very much!”

At the end of National Doughnuts Week (10 to 18 May), we received a heart-warming ‘thank you’ message from Daytrippers in Bolton. We had supported the charity’s weekend fundraising event by providing free doughnuts for its raffle and tombola.

Daytrippers is a volunteer-led organisation that organises accessible trips for families with children who have disabilities. Working with the Rotary Club of Turton and three other local charities, it hosted a charity concert at Bolton Parish Church on 17 May.

The event was a big success. The organisers wrote to us afterwards to say: “We has a fantastic day and made £400 for the four charities. The doughnuts went down a storm thanks to your very kind donation.”

Simply Doughnuts has been named as a finalist in the 2025 Be Inspired Business Awards – also known as the BIBAs. We have been shortlisted in two categories: the “Innovative Business of the Year” and the “Small Business of the Year.”

Led by the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, the BIBAs are regarded as the most prestigious awards in our native Lancashire, and winning requires not just a compelling application but success in two further stages.

One is the interview stage, which our board members attended on 15th May at Preston North End’s Deepdale Stadium. Here, judges quizzed us on our R&D and new product development work, and countless other important aspects of our operations.

Next come two factory visits – one by each panel of judges. Those will take place in June, and they will give staff the opportunity to explain  recent investments, key processes and what’s required to maintain our AA quality rating from BRC Global Standards.

The final stage will the awards evening itself, at which we’ll learn whether or not we’ve managed to win one of the awards. This will take place on Friday 19^th September 2025 at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. More details can be found on the BIBAs website.

In April, we were contacted by a housing and wellbeing assistant from Great Places Housing Group – a not-for-profit body that provides affordable homes throughout the North West and parts of Yorkshire.

The organisation is a partner on a project that provides housing for vulnerable women in Blackburn, and with Easter approaching, we were asked if we would donate some doughnuts to bring the residents some seasonal cheer.

The organisers wrote to us to say that the products had gone down very well, attracting numerous compliments on their texture and flavour. They concluded the email: “Thank you again for the donations; it made a sweeter Easter for the ladies in the project.” 

Simply Doughnuts has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2025 Made in the North West Awards. Better yet, we’ve made the finals in two categories: the Food and Drink Award, and the Sustainable / Ethical Manufacturer of the Year Award.

“It’s great that we’ve got through to the finals,” said Simply Doughnuts chair, Mike Wilson. “It’s always very good for market awareness of course, but it’s also an important form of recognition for all the hard work that the whole Simply Doughnuts team puts in.

“We were an award winner back in 2022, and since then we’ve grown considerably, both in the UK and in various markets overseas. But as our shortlisting in the Sustainable / Ethical category suggests, it hasn’t just been about commercial success. We’ve also maintained a very keen focus on waste-reduction, on progressive recruitment policies, being a supportive employer, and encouraging every member of the team to develop their potential.”

The full list of finalists can be seen here.

The awards evening will take place on Thursday 22nd May at Hotel Football at Old Trafford in Manchester.

This year, Food Waste Action Week runs from the 17th to 23rd March. First launched in 2021, it’s Britain’s largest annual food waste reduction campaign and it’s led by the international climate action group, WRAP.

WRAP has devoted a web page to the campaign, and it notes that food waste is one of the biggest contributors to climate change.

For 2025, the campaign’s focus is on fruit and vegetables and, in particular, the benefits of buying them loose, in only the quantities that customers actually need. It is an important point, and part of a wider aim to reduce food waste and packaging waste in general.

At Simply Doughnuts, we have been researching and developing innovative ways to reduce food waste since our formation in 2012. To achieve this, we have looked in particular at extending shelf-lives.

In 2021, the waste-reduction specialist Too Good To Go published research showing that “the short shelf life of products is the second highest reason for food waste, affecting a third (33%) of bakeries.” In the same year, WRAP reported that around £5.7 billion worth of food is thrown away each year in Britain due to its not being used in time.

We believe that long shelf-lives can play an important role in reducing food waste. Consequently, we remain committed to research and to finding new ways of extending the longevity of fresh food.

For more details, please see our Sustainability In Action page.