Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Creator and Owner of the easy family of brands, awarded young entrepreneurship in Cyprus for the first time during a ceremony at his foundation in Nicosia.
He awarded a total of €60,000 to the top three entrepreneurial ideas, which were selected from 23 participants (1st Prize €30,000, 2nd Prize €20,000, 3rd Prize €10,000).
Sir Stelios congratulated the three winners via Zoom, while Rena Rouvitha-Panou, a board member of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, presented the awards to the three distinguished individuals in the presence of representatives from the media.
The first Prize of €30,000 went to Theodoros Panayides, the owner of the Stavros restaurant in Pedoulas.
Stavros was a big dream that Panayides turned into reality.
The restaurant serves as a meeting point for people from all over the world.
Visitors can taste local products with traditional Cypriot recipes in a comfortable and welcoming space with a breathtaking view.
Panayides said the Prize would contribute to expanding Stavros to become a unified venue for dining, accommodation, and relaxation for tourists, focusing on promoting Cypriot tradition and culture. https://www.facebook.com/stavrosrestaurant/
The second Prize of €20,000 was awarded to Hasan Siber for the company “Colive Ltd”.
With a vision of a more peaceful world, Colive Ltd produces extra virgin olive oil from olives that thrive on both sides of the island.
The goal is economic cooperation between the two communities by producing olive-based products.
All proceeds from production are dedicated to building a larger community of farmers and food producers in conflict areas, aiming to promote global peace.
Siber said: “We are delighted to have won one of the ‘Stelios Awards for Young Entrepreneurs in Cyprus.
“This prize will help us expand our business and promote Cyprus abroad.” https://coliveoil.com
The third Prize of €10,000 went to Eudokia Hadjiadamos for the Luluki Coffee and Donuts Shop in Aglantzia.
At Luluki, fragrant coffee and delicious doughnuts meet in harmony.
Combining classic and unconventional flavours and offering vegan options, Luluki provides various products such as Donut pancakes, Sweet doughnut burgers, Donut sandwiches, doughnut bites, and Donut tower cakes.
Hadjiadamos stated: “The award will help improve our training methods and marketing strategies while contributing to the further recognition of our brand.”
https://www.instagram.com/lulukidonuts/?hl=en
During the award ceremony, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: “I am delighted because, for the first time this year, we are awarding young entrepreneurship in Cyprus.
“For the first year, we received 23 applications with great proposals, which made the final selection process very challenging.
“That’s why I invite the candidates to reapply next year, along with other young entrepreneurs who wish to participate in the Stelios Awards for Young Entrepreneurs in Cyprus.
“I am truly proud because we have chosen three worthy consumer-facing start-ups, two of which are in the hospitality sector and one in producing top-quality agricultural products for retail.
“The fact that one of the three winners runs a business in my late father’s homeland, Pedoulas, makes today’s award ceremony even more special.
“Also, the owner of Colive Ltd is a long-standing friend of the Foundation, as his awarded company today is a thriving business registered in the Republic of Cyprus that contributes to the development of the country’s economy and has been previously honoured as part of the Bi-Communal Awards.”
The “Stelios Awards for Young Entrepreneurs in Cyprus 2023” marks the first event of its kind on the island, mirroring the established awards for young entrepreneurs in Greece, which have been running since 2008.
The “Stelios Awards for Young Entrepreneurs” aims to become an institution in Cyprus, running alongside the Stelios Bi-Communal Awards, which have been honouring Bi-communal business cooperation since 2009.
The Stelios Bi-Communal Awards will return in November, inviting interested bi-communal business teams (1 Greek Cypriot, 1 Turkish Cypriot) to submit their applications by the end of January 2024 since the award ceremony is scheduled for March 2024.
This year, prizes offer €10,000 to each of the 20 entrepreneurs, each a member of 10 bi-communal winner teams of two local businesses practising bi-communal business cooperation.
The total amount of the awards for 2023 will be €200,000.
