A wide range of businesses was recognised last night at the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters’ annual Eastside Business Awards.
The judging panel included City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters Mayor Robert Bria and Jim Plouffe and David Simmons from Solstice Media, the publisher of InDaily, CityMag and SALIFE.
Bria said having a wide mix of businesses benefitted everyone.
“One of the great strengths of the Norwood Payneham & St Peters business community is the diversity of sectors, which in turn provides a range of employment opportunities for our skilled workforce,” Bria said.
“In addition to the large retail sector, there is also a significant health sector and education sector, as well as our food and beverage manufacturing clusters in Glynde and Stepney, and much more.
“Combined, these businesses give our city competitive, comparative and collaborative advantages over other Councils.”
Winner of this year’s Best Food/Beverage Manufacturer was newcomer Prove Patisserie, which relocated from a coworking space in Port Adelaide to its own premises in Stepney last year.
The booming business supplies many of Adelaide’s best cafés with specialty pastries and breads, while also operating a small retail shopfront.
Prove Patisserie is a newcomer to Stepney’s food and drinks manufacturing cluster
Bria reflected on the growth of the awards, in which the public nominate and vote for their favourite businesses across 10 categories.
“I was impressed there were a large number of new finalists this year, which suggests the word is getting out about the Eastside Business Awards,” Bria said.
There was a ten percent increase in the number of businesses nominated this year compared to 2023 and Bria called it an “impressive result”.
2024 category winners (in orange) and finalists, plus Hall of Fame winner and Legends – a diverse business landscape adds vibrancy to the council area
Plouffe was also pleased with the number of new inclusions.
“In a state that relies upon small businesses to keep the economy going, it’s always a privilege to be asked to judge these awards because I know how much it means to the businesses to be nominated and vote on by the public,” he said.
“This year it was good to see new businesses nominated from across the council area, it shows that during tough economic times there are business owners out there doing the hard work to be successful.
“At InDaily we pride ourselves on covering the business news across Adelaide and South Australia. It’s an area that doesn’t get much attention in media, yet it is so crucial to the state and all of us.”
Bria pointed to the repeat finalists and winners as “businesses that are continuing to build on their strong brand recognition and attract and retain a loyal customer or client base”.
“Clearly, they are having an impact as leaders in their sector,” he said.
To recognise these companies – many of which are relatively new – a Legends award was added to this year’s line-up.
The first inductees were Mary MacKillop Museum and Cheeky Grin Coffee, with Little Bang Brewing Co. and Shouz Boutique added retrospectively for previous repeated wins in other categories.
Mary MacKillop Museum also took out the Best Arts & Culture/Entertainment Experience for the third year running, making it a clean sweep since the award was introduced. The museum opened in late 2019.
This year’s Hall of Fame winner was Chile Mojo. The 20-year-old St Morris business retails ingredients, groceries and more from Mexico and the Americas.
Mayor Robert Bria with some of the local business people recognised by the awards
Beyond recognising and celebrating excellence via the Eastside Business Awards, Bria’s aspirations for businesses in the council area are clear.
“I want our local businesses to continue to grow, create jobs and feel they are a valued part of the Norwood Payneham & St Peters community,” he said.
“I also want them to know the Council will continue to support them and look for innovative ways to promote them through a range of business-friendly events, activities and policies.”
