Lauren’s Cows, based at Crackenthorpe, near Appleby, has been selected as one of the nation’s 100 most inspiring small firms by the Small Business Saturday UK campaign, as it marks its 10-year anniversary.

The award-winning art and homeware brand specialising in cows was founded by mother and daughter team Lauren and Jude Terry in 2012.

It has been chosen to be part of this year’s SmallBiz100 line-up, which showcases impressive, independent businesses from across the nation.

Now in its 10th year in the UK, Small Business Saturday returned on December 3 with a mission to support and celebrate the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses, particularly as they face mounting economic challenges over the winter.

“It’s a hugely exciting thing to be a part of. As a small business you can find yourself feeling lost in the crowd, struggling to get your voice heard. It’s easy to lose out to bigger companies, so having an event like this that champions smaller businesses and gets them seen really helps our exposure,” said Lauren, who is the artist behind the cows.

A trained actress, Lauren has family links in the Crackenthorpe area going back several generations and that is where the company headquarters is based.

The business took off when she took one of her paintings to a framer, who suggested she mounted an exhibition. From there grew a country kitchen homeware range including china jugs and mugs, table mats, coasters, kitchen textiles and more. All the products are themed on cows — black and white dairy animals, Highland cattle and more!

Although there are farmers in Lauren’s family, they are sheep-based, and she says her interest in cattle grew simply from “a love of the animals”. The company’s products are stocked online, and in boutique outlets nationally and internationally, including locally in Appleby, Penrith and Keswick.

Having won the retail category in the North West Family Business Awards, 33-year-old Lauren said they decided to enter the SmallBiz100 awards and were delighted to be put in the top 100 from thousands of entries.

“It’s fantastic to celebrate small firms as part of our 10-year anniversary of the campaign,” said Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday UK.

Over the past decade we have been able to spotlight dynamic businesses from across the nation, who remind us of the incredible tenacity and determination of small firms in this country. It’s brilliant to have Lauren’s Cows in this year’s SmallBiz100 line-up.”

A grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, Small Business Saturday first came to the UK in 2013 and has grown into a campaign celebrating small business success and encouraging consumers to ‘shop local’ and support businesses in their communities.

Published on the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald site, 30th November 2022