Organization Pondering South West winner: Burts Potato Chips
Burts Potato Chips has been chosen as a regional winner for South West England in the HSBC Organization Thinking initiative. 
Following its nomination as a South West England regional finalist and Imagined Exchange visit to the UAE Burts Potato Chips has been declared a regional winner in the HSBC Company Considering initiative.
In little a lot more than a decade, Burts Potato Chips co-founder Nick Hurst has taken the Devon-based mostly firm from a niche snack producer to an exporter offering crisps to 28 overseas markets.
Exports and quirky favours this kind of as firecracker lobster, bloody mary, hot chilli lemon and paprika have propelled sales from £5.3m three years ago to an anticipated £14m this yr. Mr Hurst expects turnover to much more than double to about £30m in excess of the next two many years.
The organization, based in Roborough, near Plymouth, employs 85 staff. Final month, Burts Potato Chips entered new ownership with Empire Foods Brokers, based mostly in North London, which took a majority stake with Mr Hurst staying on as founding director.
As a regional winner of Organization Pondering, the firm gains entry to funding of up to £6m and a financial reward of up to £120,000. “This is actually for all the guys down at the factory,” said Mr Hurst.
“When we first commenced producing crisps and the factory got genuinely sizzling on a summer’s day, we employed to take workers out on the beach and get them an ice cream. They loved that, and in several respects this is the topping on the ice cream for them simply because they will be so proud to win this.
“For me, it is more crucial to know that they have been recognised than for me to be recognised. It has been a excellent journey and we nonetheless have acquired a lengthy way to go.”
Exports contributed about £3m to turnover final yr and Mr Hurst believes significantly more is attainable.
“What’s actually interesting is to find out that there is a international appeal for our crisps,” he explained. “We haven’t even touched America nevertheless. There is every single possibility that exports could get up to 35pc-40pc of our enterprise. It would be a massive achievement.”
Mr Hurst intends to use the funding windfall for advertising. “It’s the one particular issue we really haven’t been able to do considerably of,” he said.
“A great deal of men and women liken us to Green & Black’s chocolate and Innocent Drinks, with similar kinds of items, and we’ve never had the advertising budgets they have had.
“If they can flip themselves into £100m manufacturers then possibly we can as well with a bit of advertising and marketing. This award will give us that possibility.”