Award-winning Businesses on the Central Coast

Celebrating The Home of the Nation’s Most Awarded Small Businesses

There’s not much we can’t celebrate here on the incredible Central Coast – from our stunning natural surrounds, glorious, sunny lifestyle and beautiful networks of supportive communities.

In fact, some of our homegrown businesses have reached such heights of success that they carry a swag of seriously decorated awards putting them on the national stage.

Here’s our list of the top locally established, award winning businesses you can get behind:

1. Clinq Barware, West Gosford

At the top of our list is West Gosford’s Clinq Barware, founded in 2015 by local rocket scientist (yep, really!) Lucy Holland, whose passion for design and serious love of a good vino combined to create an extensive array of glassware, cocktail kits, cheese accessories, and wine essentials. She’s built an all-female team of five who wholesale to retail, hospitality and wineries and also run a gorgeous online store (keep that one up your sleeve for Christmas gift ideas).

Clinq was crowned the 2023 Champion Wholesaler at the Small Business Champions Awards in April, giving kudos to their trailblazing position in the industry.

Shop their range online here.

 2. Ruby’s Home Store, Coastwide

Next on the list is Ruby’s Home Store, a delightful, eclectic British and Australian designer homeware store that offers quirky, cute and fun home decor and gifts. Ruby’s is run by local nurse Jane Fonti, who hand delivers local orders to customers on the Coast with a big smile and an appetite for a good yarn.

The recent King’s coronation helped her business go gangbusters with British favourites like Emma Bridgewater tins and colourful Cornishware crockery. The business has also been celebrated nationally, taking out the 2023 Australia Post Local Business Heroes Award.

We recommend taking a look at her new quarterly seasonal home decor subscription box, called the Hometastic Box, if you’d really like to style your home (or gift someone) like a pro.

Pick up some gorgeous pieces online here.

 3. Bollito Pasta, Gosford or Wyong

Coming in at number three is Gosford’s “little hole in the wall” Bollito Pasta, which pumps out the most delicious, fresh, handmade pasta to some of the Central Coast’s top restaurants and to Coasties who know a good carb when they can smell it.

Chef of 26 years, Mark Wiseman runs Bollito Pasta “like a bakery”, getting up at 4am to passionately create six different fresh pastas each morning, as well as a rotation of four different seasonal sugos and pestos each week. Using quality, organic, premium ingredients has paid off – you’ll often spot a little line outside the store of locals seeking out the latest pasta goods.

Mark’s work was recently recognised when he won the coveted Australian Good Food Guide Reader’s Choice Award for Providores, putting the secret hole in the wall on the national map for foodies.  

Keep a look out for their new space that’s just opened at the Milk Factory in Wyong.  Keep up to date with all their happenings over at their IG @bollito_pasta_ 

4. Hotel Gosford, Mann Street Gosford

If you’re looking for a quality pub experience you can’t go past Hotel Gosford, and from their slew of accolades, it seems the industry agrees. They took out the prestigious NSW Australian Hotel Association’s award for Best Regional Redevelopment of the Year after the heritage-listed pub underwent an impressive, 18 month multimillion dollar refurbishment. They were also finalists in the categories of Best Regional Local, Best Late-Night Venue, Best Sporting Entertainment Venue, Best Cocktail List and Best Regional Gaming Venue. Keep up to date with their latest news here.

RELATED: The Central Coast businesses you can unlock Coasties Card deals at

 5. Six Strings Brewing Co, Erina 

Keeping to the theme of amber ales, Erina’s very own Six String Brewing Co has also been recognised with a slew of accolades, and as a locally owned, independent craft brewery, we are so proud. Local owner operators Chris Benson and Adam Klasterka’s hard work has been recognised with the they took out 13 awards at the most recent Independent Beer Awards, including the highly contested Champion Pale Ale category. Cheers to that! Follow them here.

Support Local Award-winning Businesses on the Central Coast

 6. Kate Toon, Umina 

Away from the bricks and mortar of local businesses to visit, we also have some incredibly talented business minds to celebrate. Umina’s Kate Toon has been crowned Australia’s most influential Small Business Woman by INside Small Business Magazine. Running a slew of incredibly successful digital businesses, Kate’s work has also been celebrated and honoured with accolades including one of Australia’s Top 50 Small Business Leaders (2022), and Businesswoman of the Year and Training & Education Provider of the Year at the national My Business Awards (2020).

She also recently released her book Six Figures in School Hours: How to run a successful business and still be a good parent, which is pretty much a bible for any for parents who are in business. It’s hitting bookstores this week.  Grab your copy here.

For more info on Kate and her success click here.

 7. State Barbershop, Gosford

Gosford barber Sam Tate rounds out our list of local award-winning businesses. The owner of State Barbershop was crowned Australia’s Barber of the Year at the Wahl Barber Expo 2023, providing well deserved recognition for the passion and commitment he’s poured into his local business since June 2018, which has also become a thriving retail store with some incredibly slick menswear and accessories. A cut above the rest, might we say?

Check out their website here for some inspiration.

Another local business taking out the 2023 Australia Post Local Business Heroes Award is our friends over at SecondLife Recrafted.

Recently featured in our Winter 2023 mag for their eco-conscious and sustainable recrafted homewares these guys are so deserving of this award. We love their boards the quality is exceptional and we love that each peice carries its own story and history.

With only 100 small businesses across Australia chosen, we couldn’t be more proud of Mark and Katie as well as Jane from Ruby’s Homestore.

Head over to their online site here for a browse!