News: Rotherham Entrepreneur named Young Designer of the Year 2012

Nathan Bestwick, designer of the innovative Millmii spice mill has been named as the Young Designer of the Year 2012 at the recent Plastics Industry Awards.

Launched in 2001 and now firmly established as the most respected accolade for the plastics industry, the Plastics Industry Awards reward excellence in materials usage, design and manufacturing as well as training and environmental performance.

The awards ceremony in London recognised a diverse range of plastic products and innovations, from the Trunki suitcase and safer scaffolding boards to cheap spectacles for the population of Rwanda.

Nathan, who grew up in Rotherham and studied at Sheffield Hallam University, designed the spice mill so that it can be used by people who have limited strength or dexterity in their hands and works by being rolled in the hands without any need to grip or twist.

The playful and stylish design received one of the coveted awards at this year's red dot awards for product design, which were given by a 30-member jury after an evaluation process lasting several days. The product got an honourable mention due to its particularly successful detail solution.

His Yourmii business recently moved into RiDO's Matrix @ Dinnington business centre and with firm interest from John Lewis and Lakeland, sales of 15,000 units are predicted for its launch year.

Steve Crowhurst, organiser of the Plastics Industry Awards. said: "Once again we received a really high standard of entries from companies and individuals whose expertise and vision have helped to develop products which push the boundaries of what can be achieved in manufacturing.

"It was a really uplifting evening, which celebrated the versatility of plastics and the innovation driving our industry forward. The winners are to be congratulated on their achievements."

Yourmii website

Images: Yormii

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News: Rotherham entrepreneur partners with Gripple to launch Millme

A Rotherham graduate is on the brink of launching his unique range of kitchen implements on the world market.

Nathan Bestwick, 25, who grew up in Rotherham and studied at Sheffield Hallam University, is setting up his new kitchenware brand in partnership with Sheffield-based company Gripple, under its "Incub" programme which nurtures local inventors with the aim of creating future jobs in South Yorkshire.


With several enterprise awards already under his belt for his "Millme" spice mill, Nathan is on track to put his first products into manufacture within a year and take on the big brands of kitchenware. The spice mill has been designed so that it can be used by people who have limited strength or dexterity in their hands and works by being rolled in the hands without any need to grip or twist.

Shortly after graduating Nathan launched a product and graphic design consultancy called If? Works, which grew from RiDO's Fusion @ Magna Business Centre in Rotherham. He has since set up an employee-owned kitchenware company for which a name has yet to be chosen.

He says that the invaluable support he has received both from the Entrepreneur Exchange at Business and Education South Yorkshire (b&e) in Rotherham and Incub has helped him along the difficult journey of protecting and promoting his unique design.

Nathan said: "The most exciting aspect of it all is that the company will be testament to South Yorkshire's prowess in manufacturing and design, and because it will be employee owned, it will serve our region for many years to come, and hopefully become a company that Sheffield can be proud to say is theirs. But first I have got to get my premier product to market and hope that it sells like hot cakes!

"I have started developing my products for manufacture and will be setting up meetings with retailers like John Lewis in the next few months, with the aim of getting the products into the shops by the end of this year."

Nathan's business dream began while he was a student on the industrial design course at Sheffield Hallam University and came up with the idea for his spice mill which works by being rolled in the hands without any need to grip or twist – making it ideal for people who suffer from arthritis and other conditions which restrict the movement of the hands.

He went on to work on a range of kitchen items which can be used by people with limited dexterity, but which are so attractive and practical they will be sought after by all types of consumer.

Nathan was listed in the Shell Livewire Hot 40 2010 and was voted Most Enterprising Student in Central England in 2007.

Jim Lawson of the Entrepreneur Exchange added: "This new company is a great achievement for Nathan and also demonstrates the importance of the Entrepreneur Exchange's contribution to boosting the economy of the Sheffield city region."

If?Works website

Images: B&ESY

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