THE ENTREPRENEUR who founded a multi-award-winning soap business from her kitchen table in Bretforton said she was ‘thrilled’ to receive a second prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise.
Little Soap Company started by Emma Heathcote-James in 2008 joins 36 organisations across the UK given a King’s Award for Sustainability for their continued commitment to responsible and environmentally conscious business practices.
What started out selling handmade soaps at Cotswolds farmers’ markets has turned into a £2.4m business with an extensive range of British-made, natural vegan toiletry products now sold at all major supermarkets.
“It was meant to be a hobby business to get me off the laptop,” laughs Emma, who worked in public relations before she scaled up the soap making enterprise.
Now headquartered in Broadway and employing 13 people, for Little Soap Company, sustainability has been at the heart of company ethos since its inception.
“From day one I have always had this mantra that the responsibility of having a business is to help improve the world. You shouldn’t just be buying in tat from China, selling it, making a profit and it ending up in landfill.
“Sustainability goes through our DNA,” Emma says. “I’ve always done things properly and used sustainable palm oil, been vegan certified and cruelty free.”
For every award there is a mass of auditing and processes to work through. It is more effort and work but she believes it is the right thing to do for the planet.
“It gives us the validation that we genuinely are doing what we say we are,” she adds.
“We are doing the thinking for the customer, they do not have to worry about the supply chain issues.”
The company already has B Corp certified and given Carbon Neutral Business status in 2022 along with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its Eco Warriors range in 2022.
Whilst Emma started off as a solo entrepreneur, she fully acknowledges it is now a team effort not least due to the fact that her wife Sharon Redrobe joined the company in 2022 from Twycross Zoo as COO.
“I kick-started the business but the people who have made the business have been the team past and present. It isn’t all about me anymore.”
The awards announced on today ( May 6), celebrate the achievements of outstanding businesses and their vital contribution to economic growth and improving lives.
This year marks a significant milestone for the awards, as they celebrate 60 years since the first honours were conferred in 1966.
Formerly known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the programme was renamed four years ago to reflect His Majesty The King’s wish to continue the remarkable legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II by recognising the very best of UK business.
Since their inception, over 8,000 British businesses have been recognised with this royal accolade.
