MOST ORIGINAL NEW BUSINESS
SPONSORED BY
Local inns with hospitality at their core .
AWARDS 2021
FINALIST
CORNERSTONE VISUAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS
Ollie Bennett ( right ) from category sponsors Inn Hospitality Group presents the Most Original New Business award to Refill Weigh Save co-founders Steven and Jennifer Hewison .
WINNER
REFILL WEIGH SAVE
Billingham ’ s Refill Weigh Save is a zero-waste store where customers can buy dried food and liquids in any quantity while still maintaining the quality .
The town-centre store was launched by married couple Steven and Jenny Hewison in March 2021 .
With the use of technology , customers can purchase as much or as little product as they want , using their own containers and the intelligent electronic scales in store .
As sales have grown , Refill Weigh Save has been able to negotiate its “ buy ” prices , meaning it can compete successfully with the big four supermarkets on the majority of their food ranges .
And being back on home turf is working well for the Teesside couple – even though they once vowed never to do it !
Steven smiled : “ We moved away 10 years ago with the ambition of never coming back . But I got made redundant so we did come back and my wife gave me the ultimatum – go back into project management or start your own business , like you ’ ve always wanted .”
And it ’ s a venture going from strength to strength , with people more aware of environmental issues .
Steven added : “ People are embracing it and want more – they ’ re giving us product suggestions , the community is helping us go on this journey .
“ We knew it could work and believed in it . Now we want to keep growing and carry on opening some more of these stores without impacting other independents .
“ That ’ s our aim , a little network of stores – a mini-empire !”
SPONSOR MESSAGE
“ It was a pleasure to attend the Best New Tees Business Awards . The quality of finalists was fantastic and it was inspiring to hear from local business leaders . The new venue of Kirkleatham Walled Gardens was fantastic and a stunning location for an awards event . As a new business ourselves , but also having run other businesses for the last 15 years , it was an honour to present an award . Seeing an environmentally conscious business win an award and also flourish financially was really positive in the current climate .” Ollie Bennett , co-founder , Inn Hospitality Group
Cornerstone Visual Marketing Solutions designs , installs and maintains out-of-home advertising screens of varying sizes . It then sells advertising on the screens to local and national businesses .
The Stockton-based company was launched in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic , seeing an opportunity to be the only provider of outof-home media in the Tees Valley .
A major contract win was to supply the huge LED screen at the Redcar entrance of TeesWorks – the largest outdoor screen in the North-East . An outsourced advertising project for a significant local client will help Cornerstone hit a £ 1m turnover in its first 18 months .
FINALIST
SALT STEEL BREWING CO .
Salt Steel Brewing is a craft brewery launched on Teesside by Liam Senior in November 2019 .
Its debut flagship beer , Strip Tees IPA , is available in cans and on draught across the region . It precedes Salt Steel Brewing ’ s next releases , UTB Lager and Transporter ( Porter ), along with a new spirit range that will see the release of their first gin , Gininho , and Riverside Rum .
Though there are many micro-breweries , Salt Steel is Teesside through and through – from the name which pays homage to Middlesbrough ( the steel town ) and the IPA itself , which raises a smile and honours the River Tees .
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