A Hay-on-Wye pizza business recently scooped two awards at the Business Growth Awards Wales.

Origin Pizza won the Customer Service Excellence award and another in the Food, Drink & Hospitality category.

Founded just months before the Covid pandemic, the business is run by husband and wife team Nick and Bea Pearson.

Initially focused on weddings, events, and street food, the pandemic forced them to pivot. They launched a pizza takeaway service in Hay, building a loyal following, and later resumed catering for weddings and events after the lockdowns.

Origin Pizza has grown in size and popularity over the years, leading to their success at the recent Business Growth Awards Wales, where Nick and Bea attended the ceremony.

The Business Growth Awards Wales identify and celebrate the creativity of business bringing together entrepreneurs, decision-makers and influencers shaping the business community in Wales.

Speaking about the award, Nick told the Brecon & Radnor Express: “It's the first accolades we’ve had as a business, and the team’s worked so hard to help get us here, so we’re very thankful.

“We went along because my wife and I don’t get much of a chance to go out anymore due to work; when most people are socialising we are working, so the prospect of a night out and to meet some new people was good enough.

“"When the award was announced, the judge was describing his visit to the winning business before he revealed the name. He said, 'I visited at night, after work, and it was snowing,' and I thought, ‘It was snowing when he came to see us, and it was pretty dark too.’ Then he said our name, and the room started applauding. It was a surreal moment.

“We didn’t expect to win and it was a really nice surprise and after five years of graft it’s nice to have something to wave our flag about!”

Origin Pizza also strives to support local young people, offering them opportunities to learn new skills. Employees who’ve been with them from the start have gone on to work in pizzerias across the UK, and many who’ve gone to university return to work during the summer months.

The company will celebrate its fifth anniversary in July.

Nick added: "We’ve grown to the point where we have three vehicles, a nice rotating team that’s grown with us, and a really good customer base.

“We try to put customer service at the forefront of everything we do, so it was lovely to be recognised for that."

The team will be running a pop-up pizzeria at the old post office in Hay-on-Wye at the end of May during the Hay Festival.

Origin Pizza wasn’t the only local success at the awards.

Black Mountain Adventure, an outdoor activity centre based in Three Cocks, also took home two awards - one for family friendliness and another for customer service excellence.

Owned by married couple Ann and Carl Durham, the centre offers a variety of outdoor activities, from high-level ropes courses to exhilarating gorge adventures.