A Chilliwack coffee-roasting company was recognized on a provincial level Friday evening.
Smoking Gun Coffee Roasters – which offers ethically sourced, small-batch coffee that's roasted in Chilliwack – was the winner of the E-Commerce Experience Award, one of four awards handed out by Small Business BC on Nov. 1 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The Small Business BC Awards celebrate entrepreneurship and recognize businesses for their exceptional achievements and community contributions.
The local roaster was honoured for their "successful e-commerce shopping platform that not only sells coffee and brew gear but provides a fun and unique online experience with appealing visuals and interesting information and recipes," according to Small Business BC. "Events like their annual virtual blind coffee tasting help the business maintain a personal connection with their customer."
The e-commerce award honours a B.C. small business that’s "succeeding online and providing a best-in-class experience for their customers."
Smoking Gun was up against two other finalists in the category: Atome Bakery, and Sapiens Child Design Inc., both of Vancouver.
The other awards and winners are: Business Impact Award winner Employ to Empower (Vancouver); Best Youth Entrepreneur Award winner CAYA Health Centre (Vancouver); and People’s Choice Award winner West Coast Karma (Comox Valley).
“This year we celebrate 21 years of honouring the entrepreneurs that build our communities and make a difference in our everyday lives. Each year it gets more difficult to select the winners because of the incredible passion and creativity that drives them. We are so fortunate to support these entrepreneurs who inspire us each and every day,” said Tom Conway, CEO of Small Business BC.
More than 400 small businesses representing 75 towns and cities were nominated for the awards this year, and more than 41,000 public votes came in. The top five in each category pitched to a panel of judges why their business should win. The competition was then narrowed to the top three finalists and the winners were selected.
Small Business BC is an independent non-profit organization.
