Oil business going for gold (From Evesham Journal)

Oil business going for gold

11:00am Saturday 16th March 2013 in News

A FARM-based operation on the edge of the Cotswolds has reached the regional shortlist of a major business competition.

Cotswold Gold of East Lodge Farm in Stanton, near Broadway, is among the final 10 for the Midlands area of the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards.

Now in their second year, the awards celebrate the brightest students and graduate entrepreneurs across UK, giving them the opportunity to compete for an eventual overall prize of £50,000 to invest in their business, along with a comprehensive business mentoring programme.

A successful rapeseed oil business, Cotswold Gold is run by 26-year old Charlie Beldam, whose family have farmed at East Lodge for 45 years.

“It’s great news to have made the shortlist for such a major awards competition,”

said Mr Beldam. “It’s also good that it will help to throw the spotlight on this beautiful part of the world called the Cotswolds.”

Rapeseed oil has grown in popularity in the past few years due to its health benefits, which include high amounts of vitamin E and low amounts of saturated fat.

In 2011 Cotswold Gold sold about 100,000 bottles of its oil and the total rose to about 140,000 by the end of last year.

Mr Beldam added: “We create a variety of flavours including infusions of chilli, cumin, dill and rosemary.

We also have got a new range of salad dressings called Drizzle. With this we are trying to step outside the box of traditional salad dressing.”

The finalists will compete in the Midlands regional heats in Coventry on Tuesday.