A FOURTH generation family run enterprise is hoping to mark its centenary year with a win at the Press Business Awards.

Having started on the market in York in 1918 Simon Baynes Wholesale now operates from the Raylor Centre and runs its own greengrocers in Bishopthrope Road.

Catering for both the public and for food businesses across York and towards Harrogate and Beverley, the family-run business’ ethos is to champion and support local growers and producers, and is hoping to achieve recognition of its success in the Small Business of the Year category.

Simon Baynes, who is the fourth generation managing director of the enterprise is passionate about introducing his customers to locally sourced produce wherever possible, as he believes local produce is filled with added nutrients which can be lost when produce is imported from far away.

In the last three years, the business, which employs a team of eight, has increased its revenue by 150 per cent and more food organisations from across Yorkshire are choosing to get their produce from Simon Baynes Wholesale.

The business which originally sold fruit and vegetables says it has been able to grow and develop due to its ability to diversify and change with the times, which is why 100 years later it is still here.

In recent years Mr Baynes has developed a strong digital presence, including opening an online shop which is thriving year after year; introducing Office Fruit Boxes which he created to help businesses boost the productivity of the workforce, which are an incredibly popular product with offices across York; and diversifying his product list by introducing a vast range of ingredients from herbs to spices and from frozen goods to drinks in order cater and go above and beyond the expectations of all of his customers.

The team at Simon Baynes Wholesale are seen as part of the family, with many of them having been longstanding members of the Simon Baynes family. They all take pride in their work and work well together.