The creators of the Flow Hive, which allows beekeepers to tap honey without disturbing the bees, has been named the NSW Business of the Year.
BeeInventive, based in Newrybar, was developed by father-son inventing duo Stuart and Cedar Anderson.
They received the award in front of more than 1000 guests, including NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, at a gala dinner at the International Convention Centre in Sydney.
BeeInventive was also named the winner of the Excellence in Innovation category sponsored by Qantas.
NSW Business Chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright said the ‘honey on tap’ hive had taken the beekeeping world by storm.
‘I am delighted this award recognised a top performing business which is clearly forging a reputation for Australian innovation in international markets,’ Mr Cartwright said.
‘Significantly, they used the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo to raise $13,280,250 USD in 2015/16 in one eight-week campaign. And one two-week flash sale enabled them to deliver on their 20,000 orders.
‘I’m also incredibly proud that yet again, a business based in regional NSW took out the top award for business in our state.
‘The statewide awards program is a result of the strong relationships we are forging between the NSW Business Chamber and local chambers across the state and this year the competition was particularly tough with 165 finalists from 16 regions contending for the state’s top honours.’
Mr Cartwright said aside from the game-changing Flow Hive itself, the way BeeInventive harnessed the power of digital marketing, particularly social media, to drive its record-breaking crowdfunding campaign was equally as innovative.
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