OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT
This award celebrates businesses that have emerged from traditional country businesses and are generally land based. We aim to recognise those that demonstrate a compelling justification for diversification and who have established a strong position in their marketplace. The project may be a commercial operation or not-for-profit.
The winning business will have created the foundations for continued operation and will address our overarching ethos by demonstrating: a business or a people focus, growth and commitment to the rural sector through:
• A well articulated strategy
• Job creation
• Contribution to the rural and wider business economy
• Service and Infrastructure development
• The impact on communities or people and the environment • How your product, service, project or offering makes life easier or better for people living
The entry criteria provided act as a guide only. If you are unsure what to include or how to present it, please contact the RBA office.
Headline Sponsor
“The CLA partners with the Rural Business Awards because we believe that rural businesses are the beating heart of our countryside and make a vital contribution to the overall economy. The Awards are an important showcase for our most innovative and creative rural enterprises, boosting their profile and recognising their success and hard work” Helen Woolley, Director General, CLA
T.Mellor and Son (Wold Top Brewery)
OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT FINALIST 2017


T.Mellor and Son is based on our fourth generation family farm and comprises the following businesses – Wold Top Brewery – brews award winning ales using home grown wheat and water from the farm’s borehole; Agricola Bottling – a specialist beer and spirits bottling business and Muddy Souls Events – a weddings, events and party venue.
Mini Explorers Nursery
OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT FINALIST 2017


Set on a 260 acre family-run farm near Bedale, on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, Mini Explorers Nursery is (as far as we are aware) the UK’s first and only Farm School Nursery. We offer Early Years Childcare (0-5yrs) at the heart of our own fully-working arable farm, and our children are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the farming landscape and its inhabitants every day.
Flowers from the Farm Ltd
OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT FINALIST 2017


We’re the national network of cut flower growers. Begun in 2011, we now have 480 members from the Scillies to Inverness each growing flowers for market.
Iscoyd Park LLP
OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT FINALIST 2017


Iscoyd Park is a wedding and private events venue on the border of Shropshire and North Wales.
Knitsley Farm Shop
OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT FINALIST 2017


Knitsley Farm Shop was created as a farm diversification business to help ensure the survival of a small family farm, of which Edward Jewson is the 6th Generation of his family to farm at East Grange Farm. Set up to sell the farm’s own produce/locally sourced products, the business has grown to include a full on site scratch bakery, a full butchery and pie production unit.
Call
0116 380 0525
office@ruralbusinessawards.co.uk
Enter The RBAs
Enter The Rural Business Awards Online
Click on the button below to begin your online entry, or to log in and update your submission.
Click below to view our entry video!
Watch Jemma’s guide on entering Rural Business Awards
HALL OF FAME

The Pink Pig Farm
WINNER: OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT 2016
This Scunthorpe based farm has more than 120,000 annual visitors coming to see its farm park, play barn, butchery, deli and farm shop.

Hexgreave Estate
WINNER: MOST OUTSTANDING RURAL DIVERSIFICATION PROJECT 2015
Entry Guidelines
Download the full list of categories and entry guidelines here.
Our blog & social media
2020/21 Rural Business Awards Winners Announced
Rural businesses from across Britain are celebrating remotely following last week's Rural Business Awards ceremony, held online for the first time reflecting the locked-down conditions that rural businesses have been battling through the past year. Jules Hudson, the...
Our Top Entry Tips!
With the 2020 Rural Business Awards entry deadline fast approaching on Friday 16th October, we've compiled our top tips to help you write an award winning entry! You can also watch our 'Top Entry Tips 2020' video over on YouTube here. No. 1: Don’t forget the basics. ...
Announcement of Changes to the 2020/21 RBAs – Coronavirus Impact
As a consequence of Covid-19 and the resulting, ongoing economic impact being felt by businesses across the country, here at the Rural Business Awards we have made the tough but necessary decision to re-organise the structure of this year’s awards programme. Firstly,...
Social Wall
Twittering, Tweeting, Posting & Socialising – Follow Us
Attend a Ceremony
Latest News
Our blogs, latest information & press releases.