The Cambridgeshire-based business behind the world’s most innovative automatic chicken coop door openers, is to be given the highest honour possible by the Queen for International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.
ChickenGuard, which started trading in 2013, and as of last week achieved a milestone of selling its 100,000th unit, has seen exponential growth after expanding sales to 48 countries worldwide. With over one million chicken owning homes in the UK alone, and 60 million globally, ChickenGuard is well placed to receive the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth 2019.
Founder of ChickenGuard Ben Braithwaite, comments: “This is an absolutely fantastic honour. Never in a million years did I think my mother’s donation of her flock over a decade ago would have led to this type of recognition.
The team and I are delighted to be recognised for our successes here and overseas by the most prestigious award in the UK. It’s a huge boost for us and goes to show that even the smallest businesses based here in Fulbourn can grow to have the biggest impact!”
The idea behind ChickenGuard came ten years ago, when founder Ben was given a flock of chickens by his mother. Unfortunately, lack of experience led to a few hens going to chicken heaven thanks to a cunning fox. Determined to find a better solution to keep his hens safely tucked away at night and let out in the morning, Ben created his first automated chicken coop door opener.
In the last three years, overseas sales have grown by 140% and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 80% of total sales. This is thanks to their focus on markets such as France, Belgium, United Kingdom and the USA which have a high proportion of chicken owners, good market size and affluence. The business wishes to continue growing with Western Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Australasia being key areas of focus.
First established in 1966, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise recognise and encourage the outstanding achievements of UK businesses in the fields of innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity (through social mobility). Whether a small business with a great innovative product or service, or a larger company running an impressive social mobility programme, this award is a prestigious way to recognise a business’s contribution to enterprise.
Ben concludes: “We are proud to be flying the flag for Cambridge on an international scale. We’re excited to continue growing our global presence and find innovative ways to outfox all predators, no matter how cunning and support chicken owners in getting a couple of hours extra sleep.”
All ChickenGuard units are made in the UK, at the company’s headquarter in Cambridge. This enables the business to maintain stringent quality standards, reliable shipping methods and a high level of customer service.
For more information about ChickenGuard visit www.chickenguard.co.uk
