Lean Start-up of the Year 2015

Start-up name: Nutriment
Founder: Suzanne Brock
Started in: 2013
Based in: Surrey
Business description: Natural dog and cat food manufacturer

Founded purely on funds raised from the remortgaging of her house in 2013, Suzanne Brock’s raw pet food firm Nutriment has grown rapidly to double turnover last year and win Lean Start-up of the Year at the 2015 Startups Awards.

With raw and natural food currently all the rage amongst the glitterati, Brock thought there was no reason pets shouldn’t have the option of a decent diet as well, rather than the mass-produced mush of mystery meat on offer in the average supermarket.

Startups 100-listed Nutriment started life with a range of all-natural dinners for the discerning dog owner, using human-grade meat, vegetables and superfoods, and has now expanded into a range of specially curated meals for cats.

Now exporting to six international markets, the company produces over 190 tonnes of pet food a month, selling exclusively to independent businesses with a strict no-supermarket policy.

Nutriment beat second placed mobile digital advertising company Eyetease and third placed router software firm Netduma to take home the award.

Also nominated for Lean Start-up of the Year were cocktail confectionary company Smith & Sinclair, foreign exchange services firm Whites Technology Group and renewable home energy solutions business Suffolk installers.