A Co founder of a thriving agricultural business had a royal appointment this week when she shook hands with Prince Charles who hosted guests at an event for the 2022 recipients of a Queen’s Award.
Agrimech, based on the borders of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise earlier this year in recognition of its success both at home and abroad in the bagging and weighing technology and solutions market.
Over the last 13 years Agrimech - founded by Darren and Belinda Smith - has established its reputation as a market leader in specially-designed machinery for the agricultural industry, with its award-winning equipment backed up by an after-sales support system that is second to none.
And it was Belinda who accepted the invitation to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening to attend the reception hosted by the Prince of Wales on behalf of the Queen. He was joined by Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra for the formal event.
“It was a wonderful evening and it was great to meet other award winners from this year. I was lucky enough to meet the Princess Royal, who asked about the business and our machinery. I also met the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester which was lovely. Norfolk is very well-known by the royal family so we had a connection,” said Belinda, who also shook hands with the Prince of Wales.
Having established itself as a major player in the United Kingdom, in recent years Agrimech has made inroads into the lucrative North American market, enjoying encouraging success, and with plans for further expansion in the sector.
Overseas sales have grown and lessons learnt across the Atlantic are also proving useful closer to home, with Agrimech’s trademark now registered in 28 countries across Europe.
Darren and Belinda are still involved in the day-to-day running of the business and both had years of experience in the sector before launching their own enterprise. Darren spent more than two decades working as a service engineer, while Belinda was brought up in the family vegetable supply company.
“We’d rather take longer to get the job entirely right, than do it more quickly and fit more jobs in,” says Darren. “That kind of dedication is the approach that earns you customer respect, trust and repeat business.”
All the products supplied and maintained by Agrimech are also designed and manufactured by the company, on site and no third party can know and maintain them as well as Agrimech’s own staff.
As well as a proud history, Agrimech has a glowing future, with four younger staff members, who have come up through the ranks, being given greater responsibility for the company’s development in the years to come.
“I’ve seen so many people hang on until it’s too late to give the next generation the space and support required as they learn business rather than their trade,” said Belinda. “Agrimech’s future is built on our four younger members, and customers should know they’re going to be in extremely safe hands."
