Melksham based fresh, raw dog food manufacturer, Poppy’s Picnic will be flying the flag for the South West Region in the Best Rural Start-Up Category at The National Rural Business Awards, sponsored by Amazon, which are being held at Chateau Impney in Worcestershire this evening (Thursday 28 February).

Poppy’s Picnic celebrated winning the South West heat back in October at a ceremony held at Bath Racecourse. Founder, Dylan Watkins is thrilled to be amongst the nation’s greatest rural businesses coming together at the national finals.

He said, “We are a proud Wiltshire business and celebrate being rural. From our food that's handmade by fourth generation butchers using local produce, to our upcoming new production facility that will provide local employment opportunities, our rural heritage is at the heart of the business and will stay that way. To be at the national finals representing the South West is a great achievement for us. We have our fingers and paws crossed for the big win!”   

Poppy’s Picnic’s award-winning wholesome recipes have been lovingly crafted with the help of canine nutritionists and fourth generation butchers. With no hidden nasties, the balanced meals contain all the goodness a dog needs for optimal health and wellbeing. The mouthwatering Mince, Meatballs and Treats can be purchased online and delivered frozen to an owner’s door or from independent pet shops around the UK. The company also ships to Hong Kong and was the first raw fresh food manufacturer to supply supermarkets in the Far East.

Dylan recently appeared with his miniature schnauzer, Poppy on Channel 4’s Couples Come Dine With Me where he showed how easy it is to make fresh food that both humans and dogs can enjoy together. He has since gone on to appear on This Morning with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford where he cooked up fresh recipes live on air. He is also appears regularly on BBC Radio Wiltshire and has appeared with The Barking Blondes, Jo Good and Anna Webb on BBC Radio London’s The Barking Hour.

Poppy’s Picnic has seen phenomenal growth over the past two years following their appearance on BBC2’s Dragons Den. They have since gone to raise over £600,000 in crowd funding and have won 8 regional and national awards.

To find out more about Poppy’s Picnic visit their website: www.poppyspicnic.co.uk