A REUSABLE nappy brand that has achieved global success has scooped a top business award at this year’s FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards.
Bambino Mio, based in Brixworth, is now the largest and most accessible reusable nappy brand in the world, and was presented with the FSB Digital Business of the Year award at the glittering event in London in May, hosted by comedian Jon Culshaw. 500 small business owners and supporters attended the ceremony, which was opened by a video message from Theresa May, in which she thanked FSB and all those who have the ‘talent, commitment and drive to set up a small business, and who make this country what it is’.
Bambino Mio saw off stiff competition for the Digital Business of the Year award from 11 regional finalists from across the UK, the final shortlist from the 2,000 award applicants. The business started in 1991, when husband and wife team Guy and Jo Schanschieff met an American while travelling through India and got talking about a reusable nappy laundry service offered in New York.
Although it has grown in size, the business is still an SME which punches well above its weight, and the core family values remain the same: to manufacture high quality, simple, reusable nappies and associated products and make them accessible and affordable to all.
David Dexter, FSB East Midlands Regional Chairman, said: “My congratulations to Bambino Mio. The awards clearly demonstrate how small businesses are embracing and driving innovation, technology and ecology to drive the UK’s export economy, inspire the next generation and, in many cases, look after our planet.”
The business is now nearing a target turnover of £7 million in 2018. As well as having extensive high street retail partnerships with shops including Boots and Asda, it has created its own international online storefronts for its websites. Across several countries and continents, each e-store has language specific content and local currency pricing.
Guy Schanschieff said: “We’re thrilled to be awarded the Digital Business of the Year. We’ve built this business over much of the past 20 years and it’s great to see the hard work paying off and being recognised in this way. Our digital strategy and content has been crucial to our growth and it’s been a vital element to our success.”
For more information, contact Federation of Small Businesses Development Manager Jennifer Thomas on 07825 531044, email or visit www.fsb.org.uk