FTF Sweets Limited
Company: FTF Sweets Limited, Heysham, United Kingdom
Entry Submitted By: Christie Communications, Inc.
Company Description: Goody Good Stuff is a new all natural, allergy friendly gummy candy range that is made with a plant derived bio-gum technology that eliminates the need for animal-based gelatin, which most traditional gummy candies use. They are also made without artificial colors and flavors and use only natural fruit and vegetable extracts in their range, making a beautiful clear consistency and dynamic flavor
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Entrepreneur in EMEA
Nomination Title: Melissa Burton, CEO
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated entrepreneur during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
Developed a successful line of allergy-friendly gummy candies and launched internationally with dynamic educational outreach, PR and community engagement campaigns. Goody Good Stuff’s dynamic range of fresh flavored gummies have already grown to include eight delicious varieties, including four vegetarian options (Strawberry & Cream, Cheery Cherries, Tropical Fruit and Koala Gummy Bears) and four delectable vegan varieties (Cola Breeze, Summer Peaches, Sour Mix & Match and Sour Fruit Salad). Winner of the “Best Sweet Treat” award in 2010, and approved by the UK Vegetarian Society, Goody Good Stuff leads the healthy candy revolution in the UK and U.S. The pioneering sweets have only been available on shelves since August 2010. Nonetheless, Goody Good Stuff has already achieved impressive sales rates, with products available in 1,500 stores across 15 countries—among them 1,000 shops in the U.S. National outlets include Giant, Stop ‘n Shop, Bed, Bath & Beyond as well as Amazon.com. The success in her own business led Melissa to launch the dynamic community campaign: “Doing Goody Good Stuff.” Melissa, leading by example, encourages people to share on her site their random acts of goodness. The most voted story each week is then awarded a goody box of delicious candies. Melissa also encourages the dreams of young entrepreneurs in a UK mentorship program, where she helps young women entrepreneurs to embrace their multi-tasking and creativity in their approach to business, and acts as a sounding board for young entrepreneurs entering the ever changing business world.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
http://todayshonoree.wordpress.com/
http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2011/08/20/gellan/
http://www.oprah.com/food/Online-Candy-Stores-to-Buy-Halloween-Candy-and-Treats
http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.videoSlideshow/videoId/561
http://melindajoy.blogspot.com/2011/08/goody-good-stuff-gummy-candies.html
http://www.candyindustry.com/Articles/Breaking_News/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000854327
http://www.cuisinenoirmag.com/cn-essentials/must-haves-8
http://www.wholefoodsmagazineonline.com/supplements/features/kids-health-starting-right
Provide a brief biography of the nominated entrepreneur (up to 100 words):
Since taking the managing directorship role at FTF Sweets Melissa has successfully developed and launched the Goody Good Stuff brand with great success. Melissa can be credited with growing the brand access to over 1000 retail points in under 3 months in market and garnering PR coverage from over 100 sources including Oprah.com. She has developed the brands advertising campaign and cheeky identity which people have strong connections to. She has been featured by The Manchester Evening News – Ones to Watch and has recently been approached to be interviewed on The World Food Channel.