AC Goatham & Son and Barnsfold Nurseries were the big winners at this week's Grower of the Year Awards in London.
Goatham was named Edibles Grower of the Year, having earlier collected the top-fruit crown, while Protected Ornamental Grower of the Year Barnsfold went on to collect the overall Ornamental Grower award. Barnsfold has the additional bonus of going on to represent the UK at the World Grower of the Year Awards later this year in China.
Elsewhere on the night East Coast Growers got the nod as best salad grower, Vicarage Nurseries collected the best soft-fruit grower trophy and Bedfordshire Growers picked up the award in the vegetable category. Produce World won Best New Edible Variety for its tatsoi, while the British Tomatoes 2013 marketing campaign won Best Consumer Marketing Campaign.
Ornamental companies dominated the cross-category awards, with Boningdale Nurseries' Online Selector Tool named Best Business Innovation, Edible Event Flowers collecting Best Environmental Initiative for its lettuce flowers, Viking Nurseries crowned Best Exporter, Majestic Trees' delivery-to-tree-pit service getting Best Professional Product or Service and James Coles winning Best Training Initiative.
Nursery Stock Grower of the Year was Lovania Nurseries.
In the individual categories, Rick McKeever of Lovania Nurseries was named Top Sales or Marketing Professional and Jorge Nobrega from the same company got the Young Grower gong.
The Lifetime Achievement award went to Tom Wood, founding director of Oakover Nurseries.
Of his company's award, AC Goatham senior partner Clive Goatham said: 'If ever there was a year for our team to be recognised for the amazing job that they do, this was it. It is a wonderful thing to enjoy your work, to be able to see your business grow and to have a group of people around you who believe in what you do as strongly as you.
'These awards are entirely about the people that make AC Goatham & Son and I am delighted that they have been recognised.'
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