Independent business owner Anna Chiera has been named a finalist in the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards.
Selected from thousands of entrants, Chiera’s hard seltzer brand Malocchio Group was recognised for its excellence in the Manufacturing category.
The announcement follows Malocchio’s recent wins in the Hard Seltzer Taste category at the 2023 World Premix Awards, taking home World’s Best and Gold for its Kakadu plum flavour, and Silver for its finger lime flavour.
Chiera reflected on the opportunity to be put in the spotlight. “It is such an honour to be a part of these awards and to be recognised for the hard work that is involved in starting and running a small business.”
“We launched our first hard seltzer flavours in December 2020, so it’s been a very challenging time over the last few years but we have seen amazing growth and earlier this year received some fantastic international awards for two of our flavours.”
“For me, persistence is key and I congratulate all the finalists in the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards and anyone out there giving it a go.”
Already available at an extensive list of independent bars and bottle stores around Melbourne, the beverage has recently been stocked at selected BWS and Dan Murphy stores.
The prestigious awards programme, created by event management company Precedent Productions, celebrates the growing number of female small business owners from across the country, with more than 60 small business categories across a broad range of industries and sectors.
“The success of female-led small businesses in this country is absolutely on the rise, especially during the past decade and even during the current challenging economic climate,” says Steve Loe, Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions.
“Since our inception more than 40 years ago, Precedent Productions continues to present a multitude of state and national award programmes, so we’re generally in tune with the country’s best performing business operators.”
“We simply could not look past the spiking number of female small business trailblazers – such as Anna Chiera – and so deemed it only appropriate to have a standalone awards programme that showcases and honours their achievements.”
Loe explained that there was a remarkable quantity and quality of entrants in this years awards, noting that the selection of finalists was highly competitive.
“When the Champion Judges evaluate entries, they consider all aspects of a business: its strategies, innovative initiatives, customer service, vision, growth, charitable and community support – to name but some of the judging criteria.”
“To put it plainly, my team and I are just chuffed to be in a position to honour these women and hopefully inspire the next generation of Australia’s female small business champions.”
The awards will culminate in a red-carpet event on Saturday 23 September, hosted by popular Australian broadcaster Deborah Knight at the new Western Sydney Conference Centre in Penrith, NSW.