Vote for spicy sauce company, started in Manor Park garden shed, as it reaches national business competition final

Father Hardev Singh shows off his Mr Singh's spicy sauces. (Image: Archant)

It comes after Hardev Singh, 59, and his son Kuldip, 31, have reached the final of a start-up business competition, run by our newspaper’s regional organisation, the Newspaper Society.

Mr Singh's spicy sauces. (Image: Archant)

The pair were among hundreds of entries from across the country and the only entry from London to reach the final of the Local Business Accelerators campaign.

Kuldip, who is the company’s CEO, has already received business mentoring from successful businessman Lance Forman, who runs a salmon smokery on Fish Island overlooking the Olympic Stadium, after reaching the local heat of the competition through the Newham Recorder.

The Singh family were already selling their Mr Singh’s sauces to supermarkets in the UK, other parts of Europe and South Africa. But with the help of Mr Forman and his contacts they have now signed a deal to deliver their spicy sauces to an upmarket delicatessen chain in New York, which could mark the beginning of them conquering the American market.

The fifteen national finalists are now competing to win a year’s business support from TV’s Dragon’s Den panellist Deborah Meaden, the campaign’s national ambassador. Readers can watch online videos of the stories behind each individual businesses before casting their votes, as part of The People’s Choice.

The winner of The People’s Choice will be announced at the LBA Grand Final on October 15, along with the overall LBA winner as decided by a judging panel of business experts led by Deborah Meaden.

Please note that both are completely separate awards and the online vote will only count towards deciding which business wins The People’s Choice, not the overall winner.

To watch the videos and vote follow the link on the right hand side of this story.