The accolades continue to roll in for Coinadrink! On Thursday, 3rd October 2024, we had the pleasure of attending the Midlands Family Business Awards at the Athena Events Venue in Leicester. 

The evening was a resounding success, as we proudly received the award for Best Digital Tech Innovation and were also highly commended in the overall Family Business category.

Representing Coinadrink at the prestigious event were Marketing Team Leader Alistair Ward and Managing Director Tom Williams. The evening began with a swift journey from Edgbaston, Birmingham, where they had earlier participated in the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce business exhibition, across to Leicester. 

After arriving, the two joined other esteemed guests for a lavish drinks reception before taking their seats at table three, located in the front row.

And they were in excellent company, sharing the table with Simon Phillips from Wilson’s, a third-generation family business specialising in insurance and financial services, and Donald Ward, Director at Ward Recycling, who sponsored the Small Family Business Award.

Throughout the evening, ten award categories were presented, interspersed with a delightful three-course meal. Coinadrink was shortlisted in two categories, announced both at the very beginning and very end of the ceremony. We were thrilled to kick off the evening’s celebrations by winning the award for Best Digital Tech Innovation!

This unexpected victory was a proud moment for our company, as Tom and Alistair accepted the award on stage, presented by category sponsors Family Business Futures. The judges commended how our commitment to family values has continually driven innovation within our vending and refreshment services.

Our operation is underpinned by bespoke software, developed and refined in-house. From our route planning system, used to maintain and service equipment across the Midlands, to our own innovations such as the Express Refreshments Micro Market, we rely on our dedicated team to achieve our goals.

The final award of the evening, Family Business of the Year, saw us competing against strong contenders. We were delighted to be highly commended, with the award going to Red Rhino Crushers of Lincolnshire, and Landermeads Nursing Home in Nottingham also recognized as Special Highly Commended.

This event marked our debut at the Midlands Family Business Awards, and the experience was truly memorable. 

From the outset, we were impressed by the thorough judging process, which allowed the panel to fully understand our company and our values. Following our written entry in March, we progressed through various stages of evaluation, including presentations at PwC in Birmingham and MHR, last year’s Family Business of the Year, in Nottingham.

This unique process set the Midlands Family Business Awards apart from other competitions we’ve participated in. It was refreshing to see the judges take a personal interest in our journey as a proud family business with over six decades of history.

Additionally, we had the pleasure of welcoming filmmaker Richard Parkin to our premises, where he captured compelling footage that was showcased during the ceremony.

We had eagerly anticipated this event, and it certainly did not disappoint. It was an honour to celebrate alongside other successful family businesses, each embodying the values that drive their success.

Managing Director Tom Williams said: “When we entered the Family Business Awards, it was a breath of fresh air to have such a rigorous application process that allowed us to have a real conversation with the judging panel to talk about how our business works and why we should be considered for the awards.

To attend the awards evening and be recognised as the Best Digital Technology Innovation winners and highly commended in the overall Family Business of the Year was incredible. 

We have really taken our business forward over the past two and a half years and invested in technology to drive growth and efficiency. This particular award is great testament to all that hard work by our team to both deliver these innovations and use them daily to benefit both our customers and our continuous improvement. We are nothing without their hard work and dedication. 

Being a family run business is extremely rewarding and challenging at the same time, but the overall commitment to each other and our customers is what really sets us apart.

 These awards are for our whole team to enjoy, and they fully deserve them.”

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone involved in organising and sponsoring the event, as well as to those who made our experience so enjoyable from start to finish. Congratulations to all the winners, highly commended companies, and finalists – every business should be proud of their achievements.

We now look forward to displaying these latest awards in our boardroom, marking the close of another successful year for Coinadrink. 

Be sure to visit our social media channels for official and behind-the-scenes photos from the Midlands Family Business Awards!