Anthony Moloney Of Anthony Alan Foods
Entrepreneur of the Year sponsored by Barclays
Anthony Moloney, co-founder of Anthony Alan Foods - a member of Barnsley Chamber of Commerce & Industry - was awarded with the title of Entrepreneur of the Year at the Chamber Awards 2004. His vision and business acumen led to the creation of a company in the healthy eating cakes market, originally set up with no money, no manufacturing facility and no means of distribution. The success has been phenomenal - Anthony Alan Foods grew to sales of £12.5m in just over two years.
Successful market penetration
The healthy eating cakes market has traditionally been dominated by household names, offering little variety in product and taste. Combining co-founder Alan Higgins’ food technology experience with Anthony Moloney’s business experience and market research, the company was able to offer the market a range of great tasting low-fat versions of popular cakes.
The creation of a partnership with Weight Watchers, the world’s largest brand in healthy eating, has helped Anthony Alan Foods in its domination of the healthy eating cakes market, which currently stands at a market share of 65%.
What the award means to Anthony Alan Foods
Matt Carr, Operations Director of Anthony Alan Foods, commented, “Winning the entrepreneur of the year award has meant a lot to Anthony and the company as a whole. We have always thought that the company is something special, but being able to officially benchmark what we do against other companies has been an insightful exercise”.
“Being selected as winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award was both an honour and a surprise to Anthony and the company, especially considering the high quality of entrants. It was very reassuring to see the presence of such a broad spectrum of British businesses.”
Life after the awards
Since winning the award in November 2004, Anthony Alan Foods has been busy. The company has entered both the US and Scandinavian markets and it has plans to move into other countries in Europe. A new range of low fat savoury foods has also been launched.
|
