Cleone Foods Limited, owned by Jamaican entrepreneur Wade Lyn, which operates in Birmingham, England, was selected as the Santander Responsible Small Business of the Year awardee.

The annual recognition that is awarded by the Business in the Community charity, in association with the Financial Times, is given to small and medium sized businesses that can demonstrate how they are operating in a successful and responsible way.

Prince Charles has been the president of Business in the Community for the past 27 years. “The judges were particularly impressed by the continued commitment of so many businesses to this agenda despite the obvious temptation to pull back and retrench while we wait for the economic uncertainty that surrounds every company to subside,” the prince said.

Meanwhile, chair of the judging panel, Head of Public Sector and Charities at Santander, Stephen Brooks, said Cleone Foods is a brilliant example of how real honesty and passion can drive a business. He said it is a tangible example to others of how to run a small business both responsibly and successfully. “They focus on improving the lives of their employees, making them feel part of the family, and have a genuine interest in contributing to and improving the local community alongside supplying major retailers in the UK,” he said.

Cleone Foods is a small food manufacturer in Birmingham. It makes 100,000 patties a week and offers literacy, numeracy and IT training for each staff member and workers are supported with interest free loans and flexible working arrangements that support good parenting and family life.

For original article, see http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaican-patty-company-is-Small-Business-of-the-Year-2012-

See the Cleone page at http://www.cleone.co.uk/

For more information (and photo), see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/9397243/Cleone-Foods-founder-rising-to-staffing-challenge.html