East London food business wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Wanis International Foods, an East London based wholesaler, has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Trading for nearly six decades, Wanis has been recognised for its excellence in Enterprise in International Trade, having seen five years of uninterrupted growth. They were also commended for their commitment to equality and diversity and their strong record of charitable and philanthropic work locally, nationally and internationally.

Employing 165 team members from upwards of 30 international backgrounds, Wanis was founded in 1964, serving the UK’s first wave of independent African, Asian and Caribbean food stores, helping them to bring "the taste of home" to the UK’s migrant communities for whom food was key to staying connected to their cultures and traditions.

A family owned and run company, Wanis’ annual turnover recently passed the £100million mark, and with clients including all of the major supermarket chains, hundreds of wholesalers and thousands of independent retailers nationwide, the company looks set to go from strength to strength.

“On behalf of all of the team here at Wanis, we are absolutely thrilled to receive this award, particularly in the year of Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee and of course, the Commonwealth Games, especially as we have significant trade partnerships with many Commonwealth countries," said Commercial Director, George Phillips. "We all worked hard during the pandemic to keep the shelves of UK retailers stocked, so this accolade means a lot to the whole team.”

Now in its 56th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards Emblem for the next five years.