AN entrepreneur whose new Yorkshire Pasta Company has gone from strength to strength has been nominated for The Press Small Business of the Year Award.

Kathryn Bumby launched her venture in May 2020 during lockdown, and has seen sales take off, with a growing following of customers.

The 29-year-old founder has built the family-run business around the simple strategy of developing a unique product: an artisan Yorkshire pasta, that is totally natural, sustainable and with a premium taste.

The Yorkshire Paste Company, just outside Malton, has just expanded to enable it to quadruple its production capability and be ready future growth.

York Press:

Kathryn who grew up on a Yorkshire farm studied nutrition at the University of Northumbria, and has more than 10 years of food service and manufacturing experience, including at the government’s Food and Environment Research Laboratories (FERA) and more recently Nestle.

She drew on that experience to create the product.

Most pastas are made using Durum wheat, which is not grown in the UK due to the climate. Determined not to use imported ingredients, Kathryn researched, experimented and developed a unique blend of wheat flours.

Eighty per cent of the wheat flour in Yorkshire Pasta is from Yorkshire, and the rest is from further afield, and it is all milled locally.  

As well as creating a British product, the pasta has a wholesome and robust texture that is converting consumers.

By using Yorkshire farmers for raw materials, Kathryn is keeping her carbon foot print low. Her packaging is 100 per cent plastic free; energy collected from their solar panels runs their headquarters; and any food waste is fed to cattle.

Kathryn supplies directly to farm shops and via her website. She also delivers catering packs to zero waste stores, with plans to work with hospitality and like-minded wholesalers.

Kathryn has created three roles for local people, and funded all employees through a Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Manufacturing Qualification.

Active on social media, Kathryn engages with customers, and appeared on James Martin's Saturday Morning Breakfast to talk about her pasta and Yorkshire.

The Press Business Awards, now in their 30th year, celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship and success in our region, with 10 categories to choose from.

Find out more about the awards here.

Open for entries, the awards nomination deadline is August 15.

To enter your business, visit Press Business Awards.