Entrepreneur Awards supported by Octopus, Springboard

Just Surf

Winner name: Max Harrington/Mike Shawley

Set up by two friends with a passion for surfing, Just Surf brings surfing equipment straight to holiday makers, transforming the surf-hire process in Newquay.

Living in Newquay, Mike and Max set up a business where visitors can book surf hire to their accommodation so that they can surf from the moment they arrive. Their goal is for visitors to discover the joy and inspiration of surfing. 

Mike and Max set up Just Surf in lockdown and partnered with over 50 local accommodation hosts to provide surf and paddle equipment directly to their guests. The start-up is already highly successful and is transforming the surf-hire process for holidaymakers in Cornwall.

Just Surf is delivering jobs to local people and uses a local supplier in Cornwall – CJB surf in Bodmin, and their work in the community has already raised over £600 for the lifeboat charity RNLI.

1683 Chocolate Place

Winner name: Joe Vaughan

A rapidly growing high-street chocolate shop, run by Britain’s youngest chocolatier. 

In 2015 Joe Vaughan opened 1683 Chocolate Place in Knowle, Solihull. Joseph turned 16 just two weeks before opening his shop. Joe trained with Callebaut at the Chocolate Academy in Banbury, Uk. After leaving the Academy from such an intensive course Joe knew that he really had to work hard on producing the quality of Chocolates he wanted.

Joe was recognised as Britain’s youngest chocolatier. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to turn himself into an established high street name and his journey of innovation and determination has been inspirational. 

1683 Chocolate Place now exports all over the world as far as New Zealand and the United States and his chocolates have even been eaten by the Prime Minister! 

Whalley Wine Shop

Winner name: Tom Jones

Multi-award-winning fine wine merchant based in the heart of Lancashire’s Ribble Valley.

The Whalley Wine Shop – a fine wine merchant – is now officially ‘The Best Local Wine Shop in the Country’, awarded by the industry’s leading worldwide publication Decanter. It aims to make the act of buying fine wine and spirits more accessible and enjoyable, recently opening its stylish new wine bar next door to the shop in July 2021 after overcoming many covid related issues.

Tom, the founder, established ‘HELPING YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT WINE EVERY TIME’ as his business’ mantra. He recruited an exciting young team of four who’s aim is to make the buying experience a pleasurable one, no matter how limited or advanced your wine knowledge may be. 

Impact Score

Winner name: Ian Yates

An app designed to measure thousands of products against key sustainability goals, giving customers a real, independent, visual and instant indication of whether the companies values are aligned with the consumers. 

Impact score is a group of like-minded data experts, ex-CEOs, academics, and subject specialists in the environment, Impact Score’s mission is to bring about ‘positive, sustainable and social change’. 

Ian Yates is the Managing Director of Impact Score. His vision is to use technology to take action for people and the planet. To achieve this, he has developed an app that connects to multiple data sources, to help consumers understand the impact the products they buy and use, has on the environment. 

User numbers have grown rapidly in a short time and there are now 80,000 people using the Impact Score Shopping app.