Olive Dining shortlisted for National Family Business of the Year Awards 2026
School catering specialist Olive Dining has kicked off the new year with a bang after being shortlisted at the National Family Business of the Year Awards 2026.
Having been named as a finalist for the London and South East region, the family-run business provides tasty, freshly prepared and nutritious meals to over 170 primary and secondary schools in these areas.
Founded by Stephanie Spratt and Chris Whitter in 2010, Olive Dining offers a catering service with a flexible and proactive approach, whilst supporting all students and members of the school community. The Surrey based business is dedicated to creating an inclusive dining experience in schools – particularly in deprived areas across the South East.
The National Family Business of the Year Awards are the only national awards dedicated to celebrating the significant contribution that family firms make to the national economy. Since 2012, the awards have not only recognised the jobs that family businesses provide, the income they generate and the wealth they create, but also their philanthropic endeavours in the communities in which they operate.
Stephanie Spratt, Founder and CEO of Olive Dining, said: “Olive Dining maintains a family-run and nurturing approach in everything we do. We recognise that people are our most important asset and we successfully support all 1,200+ of our employees to help drive individual career progression, while maintaining an impressive staff retention rate.”
“The entire Olive Dining team has worked extremely hard to consistently increase student meal uptake in all schools, particularly in deprived areas where students have access to free school meals – from culinary development to menu planning and marketing campaigns.”
“It’s an honour to be named as a finalist at the National Family Business of the Year Awards and to be recognised for our family values is a huge testament to our hard work over the last 15 years. We couldn’t be happier to be shortlisted alongside some of the UK’s most impressive businesses and we wish everyone the best of luck for the next stages.”
Paul Andrews, Founder and CEO of Family Business United added: “These prestigious awards are an annual highlight as they recognise family firms that make a real difference, celebrating their achievements and bringing the family business community together to realise the collective impact they have.”
“Winners over the years have come from all corners of the UK – large and small, multigenerational and some early on their journey – but collectively they all share the same underlying values and make a difference each and every day. They all have incredible stories to share and we look forward to finding out more about those shortlisted this year and ultimately crowning the winners in due course.”
Now providing nutritious meals for over 140,000 students – with 68,225 of these students benefiting from high quality Free School Meals – Olive Dining has accelerated growth by 70% in the last two years and increased Free School Meal uptake by 22% within the last 12 months alone.
All regional and national winners will be announced at the gala evening ceremony on Wednesday 17th June at The Royal Geographical Society in London, with categories covering societal impact, entrepreneurship, small family business, innovation and sustainability, before the crowning of the overall Supreme Champion Family Business of the Year for 2026.