Food and Drink Entrepreneurs win at Regional EDGE North East awards

Opportunity North East Limited and Scottish EDGE announced the winners of #RegionalEDGENorthEast 2026, after a day of live pitching, in which five ambitious, high-growth startups shared a £100,000 prize fund to help accelerate their next stage of growth.

After pitching to a panel of judges, the winners were selected through a competitive process delivered by ONE and Scottish EDGE and supported by The Scottish Government, highlighting the depth of entrepreneurial talent in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

A massive well done from ONE SeedPod to tenants Susanne Moessner and Emad Elsayed from Annies German Bakery and Joanna Davies at Canny Mushrooms for taking home prizes on the day!

Speaking after the awards, Joanna said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won a Regional EDGE award. It came at the perfect time for Canny Mushrooms. The awards event was right in the middle of a production trial we were running with the ONE SeedPod team, identifying bottlenecks and improvements we can make to our production process.

“The award will enable us to invest in the equipment and support we need to address the bottlenecks, and scale our production.

“Huge thank you to Scottish EDGE and ONE for the opportunity."

Susanne added:

"Winning the Regional EDGE award is an incredible milestone for us. It not only validates the hard work and passion we pour into what we do every day, but it also gives us the momentum to grow with confidence. This funding will allow us to purchase the key equipment we need to get our bakery up and running—turning our plans into a fully functioning space.”

“We’re especially grateful to ONE SeedPod for being a steady source of guidance and belief throughout our journey. Their expertise, encouragement, and tailored support have helped us refine our ideas, strengthen our foundations, and build a clearer path toward sustainable growth. We truly wouldn’t be at this stage without them.”