BEST NEW HOSPITALITY BUSINESS
SPONSORED BY TEESSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
FINALIST
The Protein Café
Prize – Kirsty Mackenzie , head at category sponsors Teesside High School , presents the Best New Hospitality Business award to the Twisted Peel managing director Kirsti-Lee Bushby .
WINNER
The Twisted Peel
Leasing a bar the week before Covid lockdown proved a window of opportunity for Kirsti-Lee Bushby .
For the enforced break allowed her to spend time getting things right before opening – and now she ’ s an award-winner .
That first bar , the Twisted Peel , in Guisborough , has been followed by two new bars in Norton . And reflecting on the past couple of years , Kirsti-Lee admitted : “ I didn ’ t think I ’ d ever get this far .”
She said : “ A bar came up for lease about a week before Covid . I signed it , then the pubs got told to close so I was like , ‘ OK , I ’ ll spend some time doing it up ’. It was closed for 11 months but we opened and now we ’ re the best bar and best hospitality business !
“ I put every bit of effort I had during Covid into it . I just thought , ‘ I ’ ll give it a go ’ and it ’ s taken off – and I have the best team behind me , we ’ ve gone from strength to strength .” But what ’ s the secret to the Twisted Peel ’ s success ? Kirsti-Lee added : “ All the effort and all the training . I spent every minute of the day with the staff , who ’ ve put in their all – we keep thinking of ideas how we can be a little bit different and it works .
“ We ’ ve just opened another two , so the next year is going to be spent dealing with them and hopefully we ’ ll then hit a city centre and take on the big guns .
“ It ’ s challenging , especially in the current climate , but we ’ re going to give it a go .”
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Kirsty Mackenzie , head at Teesside High School , said : “ Teesside High School were proud to sponsor the Best New Hospitality Business Category at this year ’ s Best New Tees Business Awards . To have succeeded in growing a successful hospitality business following such uncertain times shows the tenacity and creativity of the businesses within our area . A huge congratulations to the winners , the Twisted Peel . You should be very proud to be such fantastic role models for all young people across the Tees Valley .”
Based in Middlesbrough ’ s Dundas Shopping Centre , the trailblazing first protein cafe in the area serves healthy , nutritious and , most importantly , delicious health food available for takeaway and collection .
The brainchild of Lili Piper , the cafe is to serve as a blueprint of the business and is the start of what ’ s set to be a lucrative , national chain of cafes .
Offering healthy brunch options , fresh protein shakes , nutritional smoothies , barista coffee and handmade protein treats , Lili also intends to use online food delivery platforms to operate an online ordering system , bringing healthy clean food to your door or workplace .
FINALIST
Brass Monkey Beer Boutique
While living in London , business partners Danny McClusky and Leigh Jackson worked in some of the greatest craft beer bottle shops and tap rooms – and drank in all the rest !
They quickly realised Teesside was missing something comparable , and Guisborough ’ s Brass Monkey Beer Boutique was born .
Offering more than 100 carefully curated , chilled craft beers , 10 draught beers , natural wines , small batch spirits or cocktails and a “ shed load of the best bar snacks you ’ ve ever seen ”, its initial popularity after less than a year of trading has already prompted the lads to consider opening a second shop .
122 | Tees Business