A prestigious awards event, dubbed ‘the Grammys of Entrepreneurship’, that celebrates the UK’s most exceptional business leaders, has given one of its top honours to a leading pet industry entrepreneur.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, which this year attracted a record 5,500 entries, named pet trade business owner Tracey Voss as the 2022 Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year for her environmentally friendly coconut cat litter Huskaloo. 

A glittering gala dinner, the awards’ largest-ever event, was staged at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane yesterday, attracting 1,400 entrepreneurs and colleagues.

From the 5,500 entries, just 98 entrepreneurs from across the four British nations went home with prizes this year. 

Tracey, who this year celebrates 25 years in the pet trade, is the Founder of pet product manufacturer Tailor-Grace, the name behind pioneering products such as ‘Huskaloo’, the world’s first eco-friendly compact cat litter made from coconut husks, and ‘Oggi’s World’, the bake-your-own-biscuits for your dog brand.

The awards’ Grand Final was co-hosted by Welsh opera tenor Wynne Evans, the star of TV’s famous Go Compare ads, and the entrepreneur and MC Oli Barrett MBE. Previous comperes include Steven Bartlett, one of the investor pundits on BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den business series.

As well as honouring Tracey, the award also cited new cat litter Huskaloo, which has swept the boards, winning at all the main pet industry awards this autumn.

• At September’s PetQuip Awards at PATS Telford in Shropshire, Tracey and Huskaloo won the Theresa Swann Exporter of the Year 2022 Award and a Silver Award in the ‘Celebrating Green and Organic’.
• Earlier this month, the 2022 Pet Industry Federation Awards named Huskaloo Coconut Cat Litter as the winner of its ‘Product Innovation Award - Cat’ prize.
• And now the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022 named Tracey Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year for Huskaloo, singling them out among 900 other shortlisted entrepreneurs.

Clutching her latest award, Tracey said: “I am absolutely blown away to have won Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year with Huskaloo. The Great British Entrepreneur Awards represent the very best of British and I am just so chuffed. It is the icing on the cake this year without a shadow of a doubt, but this award is not for me, it is for everybody in our team. 

“We have won a cluster of awards this year and it seems that everybody now recognises the unique selling points of Huskaloo and, most importantly also, they clearly appreciate what we're trying to do with the product for the environment, which is fundamental. 

“We have won these awards because Huskaloo is a true disruptor. It is what the industry has been waiting for – a product that is lighter, smaller, kinder to the animals, one that controls odour and is fundamentally better for the environment. 

“Plus, obviously, it is cheaper, and that is so important at this time when British people are watching the pennies and the pounds. But our success has not just been in the UK, it is also in Europe, and we also now have interest from Canada. Everybody seems to love Huskaloo!”

Francesca James, Founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said they were recognised today as ‘the Grammys of Entrepreneurship’. “The extraordinary circumstances of the last few years have tested the resilience of our business communities, and the challenges were enough to give many entrepreneurs an excuse to give up. 

“Instead, our award winners did the opposite and, through ingenuity, innovation, and the ability to adapt, they thrived.”