Presentation of the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade to WilloGame

His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner last week visited WilloGame and was delighted to present them with their King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

The Kings’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the coveted King’s Awards’ emblem for the next five years, they receive a crystal and scroll signed by Kind Charles 111.

Willo Game was formed in July 2017 when the then small game processing plant in Norbury Bishops Castle was closing.  Wayne Tuffin who runs a number of shoots realised there would be nowhere within 100 miles to process shot game. As a result, he enlisted the support of around 160 likeminded people who invested various sums but mainly £3000 each and with that seed capital purchased the assets and subsequently the freehold of the closing business.

Wayne approached a number of shooting people to be directors, and we now have five directors with backgrounds in the law, meat production, game processing, shooting, and big business. The company made a substantial loss in year one but has been profitable ever since and reinvests everything it makes into improving the business. This year in particular they have completed a major project in the completion of a cold store which now holds approximately 500 pallets of frozen game.

Willo Game have around 14 full time employees rising to 35 during the shooting season. They collect from around 250 shoots pretty well nationwide with collection hubs in the West country and Yorkshire.

They process around 1.75 million birds annually and more than 10,000 head of venison. They sell around 60% of their produce abroad to the Netherlands, Spain , Belgium, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong and Denmark amongst others. The remainder goes throughout the UK to independent butchers, Michelin starred restaurants, cruise ships, and online sale to the public. Anything that cannot be processed, and sold, is used for dog food but well over 70% of what Willo Game receive goes for human consumption.

The Lord-Lieutenant had a tour for the processing facility, met with the dedicated workforce and enjoyed delicious tasters of innovative ways of serving game. She said “ I’d like to congratulate Willo Game for their amazing achievement in being awarded the King’s Award this year – it is a company which is an exemplar for other small businesses looking to enter”.

The King’s Award has four categories: innovation, export, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. The latter can now be entered by a collaborative partnership which includes a training provider.

Previous Shropshire winners include aviation ramp manufacturers Aviramp, packaging manufacturer i2r and Telford digital manufacturer Protolabs.Advice and support on the entry process is available through the Shropshire Lieutenancy. For more information about entering the awards visit www.kaeshropshire.co.uk