Online marketplace for rural and regional businesses Spend With Us has honoured the country’s most exceptional rural and regional businesses through the announcement of the winners of the 2023 Australian Rural Business Awards.
This year’s winners are:
- Rubywood Laundry Whiffs – Indigenous Business of the Year Award 2023
- Our Secret Garden – Rural Tourism Excellence Award 2023
- Rubywood Laundry Whiffs – 2023 Overcoming the Odds Award
- Nine Circles Distillery – Disability Business Owner Excellence Award 2023 and Rural Business to Watch Award 2023
- Thermal Theory – Emerging and New Business Excellence Award (Under 2 Years)
- Bermagui Veterinary Clinic – Profession & Services Business of the Year Award 2023
- Travel Moore – Micro Business Excellence Award 2023 (Under 3 EFT employees)
- Elsie Grace – Young Rural Business of the Year Award (under 25 years of age)
- Lindner Quality Socks – Excellence in E-Commerce Award 2023 and Australian Made Small Business Excellence Award 2023
- Ranger Nick – Innovation and Sustainability Excellence Award 2023
- The Khancoban Kitchen – Positive Impact (Making a Difference) Award 2023
- Adventure Awaits – Bricks and Mortar (Retailers) Excellence Award 2023
- Katoomba Retreat – Rural Hospitality Excellence Award 2023
- Sober in the Country – Rural Based Not-For-Profit and/or Government Organisation of the Year Award 2023
- Wall’s Honey Co. – Rural Business of the Year Award (People’s Choice).
“For the second year running the Australian Rural Business Awards are celebrating the great achievements of small businesses in rural/regional Australia,” Spend With Us co-founders, Jenn Donovan and Sarah Britz, said in a statement.
“Whether they’re making strides in sustainability, overcoming the odds to run a successful operation, pioneering innovations or advancing Australian-made goods via e-commerce, these businesses are at the top of their game and deserve to be recognised,” the pair noted. “Much like last year’s inaugural event where hundreds of businesses put their hand up for nomination, this year brought out the most inspiring success stories from Australia’s regions.”
The awards were established to recognise and celebrate rural and regional Australian small businesses. This year’s entrants were no different, as they showed the resilience of rural and regional businesses in the midst of the challenges faced in the past year from the ongoing fall-out from the pandemic and rising inflation and costs.
“We hope that our awards highlight the importance of community in helping small businesses weather challenging times, and the benefits small businesses deliver to rural and regional Australia,” Donovan and Britz said. “We also thank our sponsors for their support and hope this year’s Australian Rural Business Awards winners inspire everyone with their passion, determination, and success.”
