The Mumpreneur Awards: 2010 Winners

	The Inspirational Business Mum 2010 Carry Somers, Pachacuti Carry was selected as our inspirational business mum for so many reasons. Her business, Pachacuti, was established in 1992 after an MA in Native American Studies, with the aim of improving the lives on Andean producers and their communities. Pachacuti became the first company in the world to be audited and Fair Trade Certified by the World Fair Trade Organisation. With an increase of 20% this year, pachacuti has reached sales of £1/2 million! Recognised foremost as a Panama Hat company, Pachacuti exhibits at London & Paris fashion week, sells products online, via 300 retailers worldwide, a pop-up shop in Liberty and private labelling for Savile Row designers. Having her business profits stolen by an armed robber in Ecuador just a few months into a business, living in a van for 9 months and being constantly moved on by the police, selling products at festivals with her 12 day old baby... Carry has gone to amazing lengths to ensure her business grows, succeeds and supports Andean producers. www.panamas.co.uk
	Best Start Up Award sponsored by Mums the Boss Anna Louise Simpson, Mama Tea Mama Tea is a range of naturally caffeine-free herbal teas that are aimed at pregnant and nursing women. Launched in April 2009, the business saved Anna Louise from severe post-natal depression giving her something to focus on, and helping her to grow happier and more confident. Within 4 weeks of starting up, Anna Louise had won a contract with Waitrose, and has gone on to secure contracts with distributers, sell to retailers in Italy, Spain, Copenhagen, Oman, Dubai, Sweden and is also now in Tesco... all within a year of trading. It's these impressive facts along with the inspiration Anna Louise provides to others who are suffering from post-natal depression, that made Mama Tea the winner of the Best Start Up Business. www.mamatea.com
	Best Green Business Award sponsored by Yell Fiona King, Tots Bots Ltd Back in 2001, Fiona King set to work creating the reusable nappy she wanted for her child which wasn't yet on the market, using an old towel. Who knew that now in 2010, Tots Bots would be the leading UK brand of washable nappies. All of the TotsBots nappies are manufactured in Glasgow, something which Fiona is very proud of. TotsBots have won the mother and baby gold award, and Fiona has managed to get her brand onto the high street and into mothercare, yet still she clams her greatest achievement is staying sane! Fiona is playing a huge part in reducing the number of disposable nappies in landfill, and alongside her dedication to the business, a fantastic brand and being a known name amongst parents, she was selected as our Best Green Business winner. www.totsbots.com
	Best Online Business Award sponsored by Create.net Adina Belloli, Little Lunalu Little Lunalu is an online store which aims to make chic baby and toddler fashion accessible and affordable. When falling pregnant with daughter Luna, Adina had to re-evaluate her career choice as she was working as programme manager in Pakistan for Cure2Children Foundation, and didn't want to be making frequent trips to conflict-zone countries. When realising that urban, stylish baby products were hard to come by, Little Lunalu was born. Adina has opened The Little Lunalu Foundation which receives 5% of all Little Lunalu's sales to provide support to charitable organisations across the world such. This is clearly a business that cares, and alongside a fantastic website and online presence, the judges felt that this was a website worthy of winning the Best Online Business Award. www.littlelunalu.com
	Best Business Support Award sponsored by Smart-Sec Sam & Helen, Mums the Boss Mums the Boss epitomise what business support is all about, and for such a relevant audience too. The judges were impressed by their enthusiasm and willingness to always be helping and supporting others. Being very active through social networking, and blogging daily to help support businesses and reach out to other mums who may not yet have started in business also played a role on the judging decision. Mums the boss provides networking that is mum-friendly, informal and affordable yet still very business orientated. Sam & Helen were the first in the UK to provide these services and begin rolling them out throughout the UK, and their services are valued by all who use them. This is why they were selected as the winner of the Best Business Support Award. www.mumstheboss.co.uk
	Best Saleswoman Award sponsored by Heart of England Lyn Blackledge, Lyns Biz Mum of 3 and grandmother of 5, Lyn, was selected as our best saleswoman winner as we felt she was a perfect example of what being a saleswoman is Lyn run's a number of direct sales businesses including Wikaniko, Barefoot Childrens Books, Child's Play International, Mini IQ and Utility Warehouse. It's obvious that Lyn is very customer focussed, which is so important when running any business, particularly a sales business. Lyn runs her business in a number of ways by showing products through networking groups, exhibiting at fairs, running parties, selling one-to-one, schools, church and even through the local vets and dentist! So a huge congratulations to Lyn. www.lynsbiz.co.uk
	Best Interactive Business Award sponsored by Ryman Stationery Claire O'Connor, Baby Ballet Baby Ballet isn't just a ballet class. It's how Claire has gone on to expand the brand that caught the attention of the judges. Additional Revenues have included Franchising, Merchandise, Parties, Events, and more. Claire has really took the business to the next level. There are currently 31 franchisees trading successfully in the UK holding 548 classes and teaching 8167 children per WEEK. Claire is truly inspirational, having made such an impact in only 5 years of trading. www.babyballet.co.uk
	Most Unique Product: Gold Pacapod When the pacapod arrived for testing and review, it literally made a certain member of the mumpreneur team cry with joy. The feeding and changing pods within the bag are ingenious, solving a number of problems in one go. The fact that these can be changed as baby grows, make the pacapod a sound investment. As well as this, we tested the pacapod out in a situation where there were no children, removing the pods, and no-one even guessed that it was a changing bag which makes it the ideal accessory for mum, too. Everything on the bag is neatly labelled, so you know what everything is for and where everything goes, helping new mums to add a little organisation to their hectic lives. www.pacapod.com
	Most Unique Product: Silver TrayKit We really liked that Solvej developed a product that was born from her own personal need. Through her own experiences she saw there was a product that could solve her problems. We were impressed that Solvej has got the product to market and it is impressing people all over the world. As well as this, our mini reviewers took the TrayKit on holiday, and it helped to make the journey time that little bit easier, which is, after all, what the product is designed to do. www.traykit.co.uk
	Most Unique Product: Bronze Mama Jewels We felt that generally speaking, breastfeeding jewellery isn't altogether fashionable. What Mama Jewels brings to the market is a fashionable option for breastfeeding parents. The quality of jewellery was of a really high standard, clearly wouldn't break, and has been certified with the necessary quality testing and standards. Jewellery can be such a crowded market, and mama jewels have found a way to stand out and be unique. www.mamajewels.co.uk