Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year

Scottish entrepreneur named Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year at National Awards

Edinburgh based business founder Sabine Klaus-Carter has been named as Entrepreneur of the Year for Food & Drink for Scotland and Northern Ireland winner at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

In partnership with Starling Bank, the ceremony was held at Grosvenor House in London on 22 November and saw 159 entrepreneurs across the UK recognised for their entrepreneurial stories and achievements over the last year.

Sabine shares her special moment, "when I heard my name and saw that I won, it felt like a dream. It was unreal to receive this wonderful trophy and I so wished that Calvin and Daddy Iain could have been there. Without them, I could have never achieved this. Thus, I was very glad that my mum came with me to represent my family, friends, team and also our customers that have supported me along this way. I am very grateful!"

When Sabine’s son Calvin was diagnosed with multiple severe food allergies she embarked on a journey of making the best out of it. She missed basic essentials like good bread in their diet and gut strengthening free from foods that bring their bodies to optimum health despite their allergy challenges and limitations. Standing in her kitchen at 5am in the morning with a sleeping baby on her back, she was determined to create a new bread that her son could have and that is how the award winning ‘Calvin’s Original Coconut Flat Bread Rolls’ were born. Sabine launched her brand Calvin’s Free From Foods during the pandemic in July 2020 with the mission to help people have safe, healthy and enjoyable food products no matter what their dietary restrictions are.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards launched in 2012 to celebrate the best of British enterprise, inviting founders from across the UK to apply with their entrepreneurial success stories.

This year, after having to hold the awards virtually in 2020, the organisers brought together all eight of their regional shortlists for the first time, with a guest list of 1,200 entrepreneurs, judges, mentors, investors and partners invited to the London celebration.

Over the last decade, the Awards has celebrated some household names including Julie Deane OBE of Cambridge Satchel Co, Alan and Juliet Barratt of Grenade and Shaun Pulfrey of Tangle Teezer. Its most recent headline-grabbing success story is its previous winner, and speaker at this year's event, Steven Bartlett, who in May was announced as the youngest ever Dragon on BBC’s Dragons Den. For Sabine, it was a highlight to meet Steven who was very kind.

The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts and leaders of influential UK businesses, including some of the prize winners from previous years.

Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, spoke highly of the entrepreneurial talent coming out of this year’s cohort: “It was fantastic to hear so many inspiring business stories after a difficult few years, and even better to have been able to invite all of our finalists to the in-person ceremony and celebrate together.

“With more than 1,200 attending, the evening was a real snapshot of the UK economy. The winners were thoroughly deserving, overcoming some stiff competition from their fellow finalists, and we look forward to welcoming them into our alumni community and seeing what they do next. It’s always exciting to watch our previous winners go on to achieve amazing things and I don’t expect any less from this year’s award recipients, who we will support all the way.”

Anne Boden MBE, founder of Starling Bank, headline partner of the Awards, said: “It is fantastic to see these worthy individuals being celebrated through these awards. We wish all the shortlisted businesses the best of luck with their future endeavours during these changing times.”

Guests also heard the story of Phones4U founder, John Caudwell, as he announced a new award category and partnership between the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and his charity, Caudwell Children. John said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate businesses and entrepreneurs that are flourishing and making a success of themselves.

“The Great British Entrepreneur Awards has developed a growing community of like-minded businesses and entrepreneurs, which was the perfect platform for me to launch my Blaze Your Own Trail award. I’m incredibly excited about the partnership we have established, both for the new award and my charity.”