Winning helped my cheese firm to really mature

10:43am Friday 8th June 2007

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Ceri Cryer, winner of the 2006 North Wiltshire New Business competition, told GORDON SIMPSON about how her victory and the competition itself boosted her cheesemaking venture

Cheesemaker Ceri Cryer won last year's New Business Awards and has said it is difficult to understate the value of the competition.

Her business, Ceri's Cheese, won the Malmesbury section, as well as the overall North Wiltshire award.

Mrs Cryer, 27, said the experience she gained from the competition, as well as the £3,000 she won, was invaluable.

"Winning the competition has been fantastic for the business," she said.

"The injection of £3,000 cash is really substantial when you are starting out.

"But, more than that, was the publicity that went along with it.

"It just really helps to raise the profile of your business."

Mrs Cryer has been making and distributing cheese from her home at Hill End Farm, Brinkworth, since November 2005.

The business is a family affair, as her dad milks the cows and she produces the cheese, which has been selling well.

"When you have your own business, you don't have a boss to pat you on your back and say well done'.

"It's only through competitions like this that you can get that recognition you are doing well."

Mrs Cryer, who cut short her honeymoon with husband Chad to be at the awards last year, said the awards were valuable, regardless of how you fared in them.

"As a process it's incredibly valuable," she said.

"The process of making your business plan and really thinking about it all is very useful.

"Having to justify your business to a panel of judges, in a little bit of a Dragon's Den style, is really useful to go through.

"It was all really helpful to get people knowing and learning about my business.

"You also get to meet a really good network of people.

"The chamber of commerce is an excellent organisation and it really helped me with the business.

"You also get to meet a whole lot of people who are also starting their own business, so you get speak to other people who are in the same boat as you.

"When you start your own business, you feel quite isolated, so to realise there are other people in the same situation as you is brilliant."

Mrs Cryer added she was pleased with how her business had expanded in the last year.

"I am just working harder and harder and going more and more into the wholesale market," she said.