30 Under 30 returns: Nominate now!

By Harpers Editorial

Published: 16 January, 2023

Harpers is once again looking for the next generation of rising stars as we officially launch the second year of 30 Under 30.

Last year, Harpers published its inaugural 30 Under 30 – the definitive list of up-and-coming talent from across the bar, restaurant, retail and wholesale sectors, who are 29 or under at the time of nomination. Winners were picked by our judging panel of leading industry names, with the final 30 also including champions in six key areas: leadership, commitment, communication, education, innovation and sustainability.

Speaking of last year’s list, judge Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association, said: “I think it’s a fantastic thing to have 30 Under 30. My advice to anyone in this age bracket is to start thinking about yourself as the next wave at the top of the industry in 20 years’ time. So take it seriously. Take your career development seriously, and if you want to see a change, make it happen.”

So, whether you’re front or back of house, in retail, production, NPD development, supply management, marketing, buying or more, if you’re 29 or under and carving your own path in UK wine and spirits, we want to hear from you. We want to hear from companies, too. If you’re a standout supporter of staff across all positions, genders and backgrounds, this is an opportunity to champion the under-30s who have made a real difference to your organisation.

Click here to nominate now!

From there, it’s up to our judging panel to decide who makes it on to the 30 Under 30 list, to be published in Harpers Wine & Spirit’s May 2023 issue.

* At this stage, nominations only require a few simple details: name, place of work and a brief description of why they should be considered. Harpers will pick up with nominees directly thereafter and ask them to submit supporting evidence against specific criteria.

** Please note that we are starting a brand new list this year, so we can champion a fresh tranche of talented individuals. Those who made it onto last year's final list will not be considered in 2023, but we welcome those who applied and did not make it onto last year's list to reapply.

Testimonials from last year’s top champions:

Fuchsia Adamthwaite, Leadership Champion

Director & co-founder, Adega Wine Cellar

Being featured in Harper’s 30 Under 30 list has been an incredible boost for both my confidence as a new entrepreneur as well as my business’ reputation in the industry. Recognition from a respected wine industry source is priceless, so I highly recommend others to engage with Harper’s Wine & Spirit, because you never know where or who it might lead you to.

Harpers further named us Leadership Champion because as a pandemic baby, we’ve created our own way of working, expanding the traditional single focused wine business model, into a multilingual, multifaceted company with a bigger market reach to more customers.

Please get in touch if you’re based in the Midlands and would like your supplier to be a local small business with fast deliveries alongside reliable annual prices and a range of 150 quality wines from 15 countries mostly exclusive to us in the area. With love from Fuchsia Adamthwaite, Adega Wine Cellar. #MakeMineAdegaWine

Tommy Grimshaw, Commitment Champion

Head winemaker at Langham Wine Estate and founder of Emerging Vines

It was a great privilege to be named the Commitment Champion and to be included alongside so many talented individuals on the Harper’s 30 under 30 list 2022. Since then, we have had an incredible year: 2022 was regarded by many as the best vintage the UK has seen. It was certainly the best I have seen in the 10 years that I have been making wine here. That has kept me incredibly busy in the build up and the aftermath of the harvest, but now I can wait for the base wines to do their thing before we blend in the spring.

Looking back to 30 Under 30, the best thing about this award is the exposure it has given me to all of the other people on the list. The wine industry needs to be a place for people from all backgrounds and walks of life, so giving exposure to the next generation is a vital part of encouraging and championing diversity within our industry. I have been able to make some great connections through this award and I am excited to see where everybody else on the list goes with their career.

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