Hundreds of industry professionals were brought together at the London Hilton Bankside for an evening of glitz, glamour – and perhaps most importantly, welcome recognition.
Organised by leading food and beverage title Food Manufacture, the awards celebrate the very best in UK food and drink operating standards and processes.
This year saw the return of special guest and TV personality Mark Durden-Smith, who led the event alongside Food Manufacture’s editor Bethan Grylls.
The event saw 14 trophies up for grabs, with a wide variety of awards given out for innovation, engineering, leadership, and collaboration, among others.
Taking home perhaps the most coveted award of the night (Manufacturer of the Year) was a veritable industry giant in Pilgrim’s Europe.
The multinational services nearly 17,000 restaurants in 20 European countries and operates in 56 global markets.
Its sites include over 40 well-invested plants, hatcheries and mills and it has a strong portfolio of market leading meat and meat-free brands.
In FY24 it invested £109 million across pork, poultry and meals, expanding capacity, automating processes and enhancing efficiency.
It wasn’t only the established big players who scooped up the top prizes however, with cocoa-free chocolate producer Win-Win securing the Best Newcomer and Innovation awards for its work in reducing reliance on cocoa.
Win-Win’s chocolate alternative uses up to 80% less water and emits up to 84% fewer CO₂e emissions than conventional chocolate.
One of the highlights on the night was the prestigious Business Leader of the Year Award, given to Frive’s George Taylor.
Taylor founded the meal prep delivery service in 2017 with no prior food and drink experience, starting from his home kitchen, where he cooked and hand-delivered meals.
Under his leadership, Frive has achieved triple-digit year-on-year growth, evolving from a one-man start-up into one of the UK’s fastest-growing food brands. The company now exceeds £50 million in annual revenue and delivers to 30,000 customers weekly nationwide.
Meanwhile 26-year-old marketing trailblazer Heather Grealy took home the much sought-after Future Talent prize, rewarding her for the dizzying speed of her career progression at Pilgrim’s Europe.
In just four years at the manufacturer, Grealy has risen from commercial graduate to senior brand manager, leading Richmond through a period of outstanding growth.
Under her leadership, the brand has grown 12% in RSV, reached record brand equity, and achieved an eight-point lift in brand consideration, outperforming its category.
Commenting, Bethan Grylls, editor of Food Manufacture, said: “The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards is no stranger to brilliance; every year we see a high number of incredible companies, individuals and partnerships throw their hat into the ring.
“Despite all the chopping and changing – all the headwinds the industry has weathered, it continues to stride ahead, adapting, innovating and problem-solving. The judges and I really appreciate all the care and consideration that goes into every entry.
“I want to congratulate all those who made it to the final of one of the most respected award ceremonies in the F&B sector. The competition was fierce and it was very difficult to whittle it down to just a few winners.
“Our fourteen victors have been recognised as champions of excellence, going above and beyond, by our panel of industry experts – they should all be very proud of this accomplishment.”
This year’s awards were kindly supported by headline sponsor, Menzies, and event sponsors: Coperion, Domino Printing Sciences, Foodex Manufacturing Solutions, Foodmanjobs, Langdon, Multivac, and Reed.
The full list of winners for the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2025 are:
Business Leader of the Year
- George Taylor, Frive
Collaboration and Partnership Award
- Meat Business Women + Kepak
Best Newcomer
- Win-Win
Employer of the Year
- Dunbia (UK)
Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year
- Barfoots
Factory Manager of the Year
- Neil Sanderson, AG Barr plc
Food Integrity Champion
- Premier Foods PLC
Future Talent Award
- Heather Grealy, Pilgrim’s Europe
Site Team of the Year
- Proper Cornish Ltd, Bodmin Cornwall
Health Hero Award
- Heck! Food Ltd.
Engineer of the Year
- Bryn Bebbington, The Compleat Food Group
Outstanding Community Engagement
- Finnebrogue
The Innovation Award
- Win-Win
Manufacturer of the Year
- Pilgrim’s Europe
