Leigh: That Secret Ingredient named Hospitality Business of the Year

Launching 'That Secret Ingredient' out of an industrial unit in 2020, Morgan Mole quickly developed a popular reputation for his tasty treats and expanded the business into a cafe and coffee shop along Charles Street last October.

Winning many plaudits for offering something different in Leigh town centre, and for his selection of coffees, cakes, and brunch options, That Secret Ingredient was nominated in the Wigan Business Awards earlier this month.

And despite operating for just over a year in Leigh town centre, That Secret Ingredient was named the borough's Hospitality Business of the Year.

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That Secret Ingredient has been growing in popularity since its launch in October 2023 (Image: Morgan Mole)

With each business interviewed and scored by a panel of judges, Morgan said that he is "absolutely blown away" by the award win.

The award is now proudly displayed inside the Charles Street cafe and coffee shop, and follows a recent expansion for That Secret Ingredient, with a mouth-watering brunch menu launched last month.

Morgan, 26, said: "We are absolutely blown away to have won the Hospitality Business of the Year award at the Wigan Business Awards 2024.

"It was lovely to spend an evening with other business owners from the borough and celebrate our successes."

Morgan said he was 'absolutely blown away' by the award win (Image: Morgan Mole) Taking place at The Edge building in Wigan on Friday, November 8, the Business Awards celebrated the achievements of 75 finalist across 22 categories, ranging from tourism and wellbeing to creative and community enterprises, and many more.

In Atherton, The Snug Coffee Shop won Leisure and Travel Business of the Year, while Rachael Flaszczak also won Micro Business of the Year for her 'Hey Ho Let's Sew' project as well as the Community Impact of the Year Award for her dedication across both ventures.

St George’s Church in Tyldesley also won Sustainable Business of the Year, Amy's Little Studio picked up the Creative and Digital Business of the Year award in Atherton, while Leigh-based Cloud 4 Technology secured the IT and Tech Business of the Year Award.

Racheal Flaszczak and The Snug were also recognised (Image: LDRS)Organiser of the awards and founder of Atherton-based Launch Events North West, Nichola Howard, said: "From the beginning, Jo [Leigh] and I have been dedicated to creating a fair awards programme that does our nominees justice.

"We want to say a massive thank you to our judges who, with zero knowledge of the movers and shakers in our borough, focussed solely on judging applicants on what they’ve achieved, not who they know.

“We’ve always believed in doing business in a way that gives back to our communities and supports fellow businesses to succeed.

"The award winners and everybody in the room have proven to me once again that success is built on these simple, but so important, values.

“Finally, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to all who joined us to celebrate, and to our sponsors who made the event possible.”

The Wigan Business Awards celebrated 75 finalists across 22 categories (Image: Wigan Business Awards)