Sweet success for honey firm
An entrepreneur who turned a beehive in his back garden into a thriving honey business in Newtown has been shortlisted for the 2019 St David's Awards for Wales.
At the age of 21 Scott Davies walked from his home into Caersws to sell his first five jars of honey.
Less than a decade later his Hilltop Honey company is based in purpose built, 14,000 square foot premises in Newtown and supplies honey to major superstores and exports its products.
Previous winners of the St David's Awards include musician Cerys Matthews, professional cyclist Geraint Thomas, actor and UNICEF Ambassador Michael Sheen and most recently, Paralympian athlete, Aled Sion Davies.
The scheme acknowledges people who are making a real difference for this country – either at home or abroad.
The awards are the highest accolade that Welsh Government confers on its citizens.
Mr Davies, Managing Director of Hilltop Honey, said: “I am hugely honoured for my business Hilltop Honey to be shortlisted for the Enterprise category in this year’s St David Awards. We are proud to be representing the Welsh food and drink industry.
"Hilltop Honey has experienced considerable growth over the last 7 years and has today established itself as one of the UK’s leading and most exciting honey brands. Expansion into the 14,000 sq. ft. purpose-built factory in 2017 has enabled us to increase production volume greatly; previously jarring 70,000 units a month, we now have the capability to deliver a capacity of filling 850,000 jars a month.”
Tesco, Sainsburys and most recently Morrisons now sell Hilltop Honey and Mr Davies said: "Securing these major retail contracts has helped to protect the growth and future of Hilltop Honey as a company and allows us to create further job opportunities for people locally – which is an important injection into the local economy.
“The rapport we have built with retailers has led to us securing own label contracts within certain multiples. This allows us to create further job opportunities for people locally. Our ambition is to share our honey further, promote our Welsh brand, increase our ever-growing demand and one day become the nation’s favourite honey brand.”
The First Minster of Wales, Mark Drakeford, said: “It is great to see Hilltop Honey, an innovative, environmentally-minded and charitable company, being shortlisted for our St David Awards. Businesses like this are exactly what the Awards seek to honour for their work and for their dedication to Wales."
The St David Awards will be announced at a ceremony and dinner held to be held at the Senedd, Cardiff Bay on March 21.
