Food and drink producers up and down the UK and across a plethora of categories entered the 2026 Food Manufacture Excellence awards, with the first heat concluding at the end of last week.
Following an impressive initial round, the finalists for the prestigious industry awards have now been revealed.
Fourteen accolades are up for grabs, with the winners for next year’s awards to be announced at a gala dinner held at the London Hilton Bankside on 5 February 2026. Tickets are available to purchase here.
The full list of finalists for 2026 are:
Business Leader of the Year
- Thomas Robson-Kanu, Innate-Essence Limited: The Turmeric Co.
- Ricky Flax, Delightful Food Group
- George Hughes-Davies, Daily Dose
- George Taylor, Frive
- Anne-Frances Ball, Arla Foods
Collaboration and Partnership Award
- Müller UK & Ireland + Myprotein (THG)
- Greenyard + FareShare
- Dawsongroup tcs + AAK BD Foods
- Meat Business Women + Kepak
- Pilgrim’s Europe + PureTec
- Kirsty’s + Myprotein
- QualityApp + Symprove
- The Food Incubator + Chic P
Best Newcomer
- Nimi Nosh
- Hoxton Farms
- Win-Win
Employer of the Year
- Fudge Kitchen
- Dunbia (UK)
- Heck! Food Ltd.
- Pilgrim’s Europe
Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year
- The Billington Group
- Grounds for Good
- Win-Win
- Barfoots
- Glebe Farm Foods
Factory Manager of the Year
- Neil Sanderson, AG Barr plc
- Mickey O’neil, Daily Dose
- Richard Collins, Arla Foods
Food Integrity Champion
- The Turmeric Co.
- Premier Foods PLC
- Daily Dose
Future Talent Award
- Matt Scholes, Hovis
- Simeon Clark, The Compleat Food Group
- Adam Atcha, Coca-Cola Europacific partners
- Heather Grealy, Pilgrim’s Europe
- Daniel Elford, Daily Dose Limited
- Amirah Patel, Simply Doughnuts
Site Team of the Year
- Furthergate Industrial Estate, Blackburn, Simply Doughnuts
- Proper Cornish Ltd, Bodmin Cornwall
Health Hero Award
- The Turmeric Co.
- Heck! Food Ltd.
- The Protein Ball Company
- Kirsty’s
- Frive
Engineer of the Year
- Martin Northover, Cranswick Convenience Foods, Milton Keynes
- Bryn Bebbington, The Compleat Food Group
- Daniel Elford, Daily Dose Limited
Outstanding Community Engagement
- Cranswick Convenience Foods, Milton Keynes
- Finnebrogue
- Heck! Food Ltd.
- The Flava People
- Brioche Pasquier
The Innovation Award
- Win-Win
- Blends Flavours & Colours LTD
- The Flava People
- MicroSalt plc
- Pip Organic (Booost Trading Limited) - Pip Organic Apple Fizz
Manufacturer of the Year
- Proper Cornish Ltd
- Moo Free Chocolate
- Denhay Farms Ltd
- Blends Flavours & Colours LTD
- Crust and Crumb Bakery
- Pilgrim’s Europe
- Regal Food Products Group Plc
- Foyle Food Group
New for this year, all finalists will be required to take part in a second virtual interview stage. These Dragon’s Den style interviews will happen next month.
The winners for next year’s awards will be announced at a gala dinner held at the London Hilton Bankside on 5 February 2026. Tickets are available to purchase here. The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards are a great chance to keep up to date with trends, connect with influencers, reward and motivate your teams, raise your company’s profile and celebrate partnership success. All tickets include:
- Three-course dinner and drinks reception on arrival
- Awards ceremony hosted by celebrity talent
- After party, featuring music, dancing and entertainment
This year’s awards are supported by headline sponsor Menzies, and event sponsors Domino Printing Sciences, Reed, and Langdon.
