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Bunches and Munches Wins Top Award

A Hethersett business is celebrating  winning a prestigious award for “going the extra mile” and providing outstanding customer service.

Bunches and Munches of Great Melton Road has been named Shop and a Half in the Shop Here Awards 2008 organised by the Eastern Daily Press newspaper.

The award has been given in recognition of a business that has “successfully diversified from its core service and added a new string to its bow.”

Bunches and Munches started life as a florist for the mother and son team of Caroline and David Reynolds. It soon began expanding, however, to become a hub in the Hethersett community by offering a diverse array of services including the sale of Calor Gas, dry cleaning, a sandwich bar selling food along with teas and coffees and a bed and breakfast. The duo also offer outside catering for events.

Caroline said she was determined to ensure that Bunches and Munches fully served the local community:

“I have lived in the village for 13 years and didn’t want to lose another shop and service. It is all about customer service. If a customer is housebound then we will take a selection of stock around for them to help them choose, it is filling a gap in the village. Where one of the elements of our business on its own might struggle, together it works really well.

”We like to think we are creating a little village hub. You might think that a mother and son working together, and living together, might not work, but it does and the whole family chips in and helps. Getting the award was just what we needed, because at that time we weren't sure if people were really noticing what we were doing.”

David Reynolds explained that the success of Bunches and Munches lay in diversification. He said: “When we took over the business in December 2006 it was simply a florists which took in some dry cleaning and occasionally sold the odd bottle of Calor gas. Within eight months we had added a sandwich bar, selling coffees and teas, and also a bed and breakfast. We also cater for events, which has been increasingly successful through word of mouth.”

Members of the public were asked to nominate their favourite businesses in a number of categories aimed at encouraging exploration of what is on offer at village stores, farm shops, farmers markets and craft shops. The competition is a way of giving recognition to independent shops, many of whom are the life blood of communities