To commemorate National Small Business Week, Barclays US Consumer Bank today announced Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen as the winner of its third annual "Small Business Big Wins" promotion and the recipient of the $60,000 grand prize. The Troy, New York-based restaurant is driven by a passion for food and community and provides authentic Korean food for dine-in, take-out and catering at its local market. Additionally, Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen employs immigrant Americans from all over the world and offers free virtual English classes for adults. Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen received the most nationwide votes – edging out nine other strong finalists – that determined which US-based small business would receive the much-needed financial boost.
Barclays received over 14,000 qualifying submissions for this year's promotion, the most the contest has received since launching in 2020. Through essays and photos, these thousands of small businesses across the country shared the challenges of building a business and their unique journeys. Ten finalists were selected and showcased online at BarclaysSmallBizBigWins.com for a public voting period that took place April 1-10.
"Small businesses were forced to adapt during the pandemic and now face tough economic conditions," said Jill Neilson, Director of US Business Cards at Barclays. "Our annual contest supports and provides capital to small businesses who play a critical role in fueling our economy and providing jobs and services to our communities."
The contest is sponsored by the Barclays Business Card team, which supports business owners with its broad range of credit cards that offer business owners rewards for dollars spent on their business needs.
Barclays awarded $40,000 to second place winner Dixon Cooperative Market of Dixon, New Mexico; $20,000 to third place winner Beautiful Curly Me of Atlanta, Georgia; and $5,000 to each of the remaining finalists in the top 10. Barclays also awarded 50 participants of the contest $2,000 each through a random drawing, all totaling $255,000 in support of 60 small businesses across the country.
"We are incredibly grateful to our supporters in the community who rallied behind us during the voting process," said Jinah Kim, owner of Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen. "A big mission for us is working with immigrants and providing educational programming and professional development. This cash influx from Barclays will enable us to bolster these programs and reach more people in our community."
The full list of finalists includes:
• Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen – Troy, New York ($60,000): Driven by a passion for food and community, Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen provides authentic Korean food for dine-in, take-out and catering at its local market. Additionally, this small business employs immigrant Americans from all over the world and provides free virtual English classes for adults.
• Dixon Cooperative Market – Dixon, New Mexico ($40,000): Founded in 2005, this unique market provides locals with a grocery store that supports local growers and producers. The market also provides educational resources to the community.
• Beautiful Curly Me – Atlanta, Georgia ($20,000): Beautiful Curly Me gives every little girl the chance to have a doll that looks like them by creating dolls with braids and curly hair. For every doll sold, one is donated to underserved communities.
• Buttermilk Boutique, LLC – Clayton, North Carolina ($5,000): A pasty shop dedicated to memorable luxury sweets and treats for everything from weddings to corporate events.
• Good Karma Bikes – San Jose, California ($5,000): A non-profit dedicated to providing bike repair and secondhand sale services to members of the local community in need of aid.
• Happy Day Dessert Factory – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ($5,000): An ice cream parlor serving homemade hard ice cream as well as water ice, custard, milkshakes and more. Products are made daily with premium ingredients.
• KnoNap – Washington, D.C. ($5,000): A tech startup that makes small, portable tests that enable users to test drinks and cocktails for drugs commonly used to spike drinks.
• Mickey's Popcorn – Memphis, Tennessee ($5,000): A snack producer founded by a married team producing small batch gourmet popcorn in flavors inspired by their region.
• Rose Sisters Chips – Brooklyn, New York ($5,000): A snack company founded by two sisters using a family recipe that dates back to their Polish-Canadian childhood in Brooklyn. The recipe has been passed down for three generations.
• Wowzitude – Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey ($5,000): A travel entertainment company that specializes in virtual tours that cater to seniors and others who might not be able to experience distant locations physically.
About Barclays
US Consumer Bank Barclays US Consumer Bank is a leading co-branded credit card issuer and financial services partner in the United States that creates highly customized programs to drive customer loyalty and engagement for some of the country's most successful travel, entertainment, retail and affinity institutions.