CASE STUDIES

• Enact - energy consultants
• Geoscience
• Hydra Group
• Kensa Heat Pumps
• Lollipop Children's Products Ltd
• Scott Wilson Oceans

REPORTS

• The New Entrepeneurs

Environmental

A converted barn perched on the edge of the cliffs on Cornwall's furthest western tip might seem a surprising place to find a dynamic young company that has been making big waves in the world of baby and childcare products. But for Liz Scrambler, founder and MD of Lollipop Children's Products Ltd, Cornwall has been the ideal environment in which to turn a brilliant idea into a runaway business success.

Five years ago Liz was helping her husband to run their organic farm on a spectacular stretch of National Trust coastline between Lands End and St Ives. The idea for Lollipop came from Liz's own experience as a mother, along with her passionate commitment to the environment. She'd always used washable cotton nappies for her own three children, conscious of the massive waste problem caused by disposables, but had been frustrated by the limited choice available.

"Even when more new products started coming onto the market, it was difficult to find out what was right for your child," Liz explains. "I asked myself who's best at giving such advice, and the answer I came up with was mothers with experience of their own to draw on. The idea for 'Team Lollipop' - a network of agents who are also parents of young children - is really just an update of the old way of doing things, when mums used to advise other mums over the garden fence.'"

This word-of-mouth approach, together with the quality of Lollipop's product range, has proved hugely successful, and the company now has a network of around 200 agent-advisers all over the UK. Using feedback from these hands-on nappy experts, Lollipop has recently developed a new product of its own, the Onelife Nappy, designed to be the ultimate cotton washable. Liz was delighted when it won the Highly Commended Show Product of the Year Award at the 2004 Baby & Child International Fair, and her own achievement was recognised recently when she was presented with a Protection of the Environment Award at the international Young Business Achievers conference.