Cornish winemaker Camel Valley has cemented its position as one of the county’s most successful food and drink businesses by joining the Beacon network.

The family-run company, which was started in 1989, has grown steadily to achieve a £1.5m turnover and has won numerous industry awards for its range of pedigree wines and sparkling wines.

By becoming a Beacon member, the owners and managers at Camel Valley will have the opportunity to share knowledge and experience with other leading businesses in the region through the unique peer-to-peer network.

Membership of Beacon will give Camel Valley access to networking events, including the quarterly Beacon Boardrooms; site visits to provide insight into the running of other successful businesses as well as the opportunity to host a visit, and online confidential peer-to-peer exchange.

Beacon was first set up in 2003 to identify, validate and bring together top performing businesses across the South West. It is now run by Plymouth University from Tamar Science Park and has been strengthened by becoming a cornerstone of GAIN, the Growth Acceleration and Investment Network.

GAIN has been established by Plymouth University, Plymouth City Council and Tamar Science Park to accelerate the creation, growth and investment in high quality businesses and ideas to create wealth and jobs in the South West peninsula.

Sam Lindo, Director of Camel Valley which is based at Nanstallon near Bodmin, said: “We were first introduced to Beacon by another member, Rupert Wilson from the Seafood Restaurant, who invited us to speak at a Beacon event. Joining Beacon appealed to us because you don’t often get the chance to talk openly with other people about running a business, and who really understand the issues that you’re facing.

“I’m looking forward to attending as many Beacon Boardrooms as possible and visiting other businesses to find out more about how they are run. I’m particularly interested in speaking to companies which have been established for a long time, as we want Camel Valley to be a business which is handed down through the generations but it’s hard to foresee now what problems may arise – hopefully by speaking to companies will help to highlight any potential issues and help us prepare for the future.

“I also think we have a lot to offer other Beacon companies, both large and small. We’ve developed a successful model for running a family business, have had great success with our marketing strategies and have also managed all our own trade marking -  these are all things we can hopefully share with other Beacon members.”

Sue Baker, head of network development at Beacon said: “Over a relatively short period of time, Camel Valley has established credibility and flourished in a hugely demanding and competitive environment. The company’s commitment to product development, use of design and effective marketing techniques are hallmarks of a truly knowledge intensive business and makes Camel Valley a real Beacon for other companies to follow.”

Beacon has recently launched its Beacon Pathfinder programme which is aimed at growth-minded companies and entrepreneurs who aspire to Beacon status. The Beacon network currently comprises of more than 230 independently validated companies turning over £2.6bn and employing 31,000 people in the South West, across all sectors.

For more information about Beacon and Beacon Pathfinder visit www.beaconsw.org, or email [email protected]. To find out more about Camel Valley vineyards and wines, visit www.camelvalley.com

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