EZ Hampers 2022 reflections

What a year! 2022 was certainly interesting, and this year at EZ Hampers, there was never a dull moment.

From January to December, we made thousands of hampers for our wonderful clientele. On top of this, we have made leaps and bounds in growing EZ Hampers as a business.

We know that the end of a year is a great time to have some reflections on the year. In order to wrap up the year, we wanted to share some of the brilliant moments we’ve had as a business as well as our personal ones. 

BUSINESS REFLECTIONS

1. WE EXPANDED OUR WORK SPACE!

This October we were able to expand our business empire from one room that doubled as a stockroom and an office, to having two separate spaces for the office and a place to store all of our gift hamper goodies. Erin and I spent many a night redecorating and organising the new spaces, and we couldn’t be happier with the results! To commemorate the occasion, we had our very first open day at EZ Hampers headquarters which was a smashing success. We look forward to hosting many more open days in the months to come.

2. GAINED A NEW MEMBER OF STAFF!

The brilliant Gabby who has become an absolutely integral part of the business. She has helped us not only expand our areas online, taking over our social media and photography but also she brought a new creativity to the team in her hamper designs. So much of this year could not have been achieved without her so Lisa and Erin would like to thank her so much for everything. 

3. IN 2022, EZ HAMPERS ATTENDED 7 FAIRS. 

We kicked off the year by hosting an EZ Hampers stall at the Royal Jubilee celebration fair. During the Summer, we had great fun attending the South Manchester Dog Show, where we got to showcase all of our pawsome pet hamper products (and pet some extremely cute dogs!). EZ Hampers also had the opportunity to visit Virgin Media in Wythenshawe to demonstrate a range of our  best-selling products. Near the end of the year, we attended The Urmston Pub Christmas Fair, the Mercedes-Benz Christmas Fair in Stockport, and the Rope & Anchor Pub Christmas Fair twice in December. We learnt so much from each experience, and we also got to meet so many lovely people, including fellow vendors. 

4. WE WERE NOMINATED FOR 10 AWARDS AND 6 WON AWARDS

We were enormously grateful to be nominated for so many awards this year. We pride ourselves on our commitment to making our gift hampers as eco-friendly as possible, so it was an honour to be chosen for so many categories related to sustainability and veganism. 

2022 AWARDS:

• The Vegan Choice Award for Plant Based Hampers 2022
• UK Enterprise Awards Best Sustainable Luxury Gifts Supplier 2022 – Northern England
• UK Enterprise Awards Most Sustainable Luxury Gifts Supplier of the Year 2022
• UK Global Vegan Awards 2022 – Best Luxury Vegan Gifts Company 2022
• LUXlife Sustainability Champion Award 2022
• Highly commended for Sustainability Champion by Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce

Other 2022 nominations:

• A Finalist in the Planet Based Category by the Female Business Networking Awards
• Nominated for a Northern Power Women Person with Purpose Award 2023
• Nominated for Micro Business of the year by Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce
• Nominated for Business of the year by by Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce

5. WE’VE SUPPORTED MORE CHARITIES THAN EVER THIS YEAR

Giving back by helping others is one of our fundamental values at EZ Hampers. Therefore, we wanted to support as many local charities as possible in 2022, from donations to attending charity balls. These charities include Coffee4Craig, Cash For Kids and Dogs4Rescue.  In December, we also raised money for Save the Children UK by taking part in Christmas Jumper Day.

We’ve also been supporting charities through sales of our products, such as Persie Distillery who make donations to Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society through the sale of their dog gins, and Temple Spa who donate to the mental health charity, Mind. This year, we’ve also supported Grace’s Chocolates, who give second chances to women who’ve been involved with crime in the past. 

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

As well as sharing what we did as a business this year, we also wanted to share with you all some of the things each of our team did in 2022! Each of us has our own personal reflections on what we got up to this year!

Lisa- “Returning to live music and getting to see the amazing Diana Ross, Paul Weller and Edward The Second. Going to Greece, and although I have travelled extensively I have never been to Greece, and Crete did not disappoint. Going To the Highlands of Scotland and touring around, after what was the worst start to the holiday, after all trains had been cancelled, it ended up being magical. Seeing my daughter graduate twice and not crying, as I was mega proud of her to be able to achieve all that she did during lockdown. Seeing my son get the job he loves, and finding his true calling. My personal achievements are seeing my children happy and that’s what makes me smile.”

Erin- “In 2022, I was able to spend some much needed time with friends and family. Especially travelling, to London three times, to LA, Crete, Amsterdam and Barcelona. My brother and I were to travel to Spain to see my family who I have not seen for 6 years and meet my cousin’s new baby while I was there. I also graduated with my 2020 undergraduate degree in History from the University of Chester, then a month later celebrated my Masters graduation again in History from the University of Chester.”

Gabby- “In 2022, I wanted to broaden my horizons by travelling abroad to places I had never been before. I had an absolutely fantastic time travelling with my loved ones to places such as Greece and Iceland. I also graduated with a 2:1 in Psychology during the summer, which I was super proud of! Of course, I can’t acknowledge this year without mentioning how warmly I was welcomed to the EZ Hampers team by Erin and Lisa in April. I’ve loved every second of working in my role as a sales and stock assistant, and I can’t wait to go forward together into 2023!”

Once again, we’d like to thank all of our readers, as well as everyone who purchased a hamper from us in 2022. Our growth and success is very much a result of your continued support. We hope you all have a very Happy New Year!