The ‘Made in the Midlands’ Awards celebrate the best manufacturing performance across the region, itself a centre for some of the most innovative and successful businesses in the country. To be revealed at a gala event in September, the accolades cover ‘Food and Drink’, ‘Sustainable/Ethical Manufacturer’ and ‘Manufacturer of the Year (over £25m)’.

The news is another instance of Aston Manor being identified as a standout business in terms innovation in food and drink and for the significant advances it is making to be a more sustainable operation. Gordon Johncox, chief executive of Aston Manor said: “Our people work incredibly hard to improve product quality, improve business performance and to reduce our environmental footprint.

“To be recognised again on what are key priorities for us is testament to the progress we are making and our willingness to invest to build capability and capacity. “We are delighted and excited to be in the same company as the other shortlisted business.” Organisers of the Made in the Midlands Award revealed a record number of entries had been received.

For the organising committee, business editor Ian Griffin said:

“This highlights the huge scale and breadth of innovation and capability in the Midlands and showcases the fact that this region is a major global centre for manufacturing."

In December Aston Manor received international recognition when it was named as one of the top sustainable businesses in the alcohol industry at The Drinks Business Green Awards. During 2019 Aston Manor’s sustainable practices were lauded at several industry awards. The business was named Green Business of the Year and Company of the Year at the Birmingham Post Business Awards, as well as collecting the Large Business of the Year prize at the West Midlands Business Masters.

As part of the effort to become more sustainable the leading cider maker also takes an active role in being socially responsible and supporting education on the impact of alcohol. Headquartered in Birmingham and with sites in the West Midlands and South West, Aston Manor’s chief executive Gordon Johncox recently joined the Portman Group Council.

Other senior people in the business support the communication and public affairs work of the organisation that has a thirty-year track record of fostering a balanced approach to issues related to alcohol and the development of successful and targeted campaigns to reduce harm.