The owner of a craft beer and bottleshop in Huntingdonshire is "over the moon" to have been crowned the East of England's best Food and Drink Startup of the Year.
Matthew Kelly runs The Filling Sation in St Ives and picked up the award at the finals of StartUp Awards 2023 on June 29 at a ceremony in Peterborough.
Hailed by judges for its sustainable beer-drinking experience, state-of-the-art dispense technology, and variety of locally sourced beers, The Filling Station was deemed a cut above the rest.
Speaking to the Hunts Post, Matthew said: "I was completely over the moon.
"This, to be recognised as the best startup in our region, felt really different. It was really cool.
"There are so many food startups, and everyone is doing a food or drink startup, so for me to win it from a place in St Ives is a big deal."
READ MORE: Fancy a pint? St Ives Filling Station crowned UK's best independent beer shop
The Filling Station has been running for more than two years and fitted the criteria as a startup because it had been running for just under the two-year threshold when judging commenced.
The taproom came up against four other businesses in the finals, including an organic chocolate company and a new alcohol-free beer brand.
Matthew said though that because The Filling Station is "so different", he felt his business was in with a strong chance of winning.
The judges "loved" the environmental and local angle of the shop, which utilises US-style beer growlers for sustainable refilling and has 10 ever-changing draught beer taps on their wall sourced from local breweries, which helped them to "stand out from the crowd."
READ MORE: Beer filling station owner crowned our environmental champion of the week
Matthew added online: "This means a huge amount to my business, and winning in such a competitive category is just incredible.
"None of this would be possible without the continued support that St Ives and the surrounding villages send our way.
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