One locally owned, family-oriented, mother-run business has had a splendid start to its tenure in Swift Current.

The Fill, a boutique specializing in zero waste goods and refillery, has been awarded the Swift Current & District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for New Business Start-Up.

The award recognizes their efforts in opening their doors in Swift Current, and the quality of service they have provided to the customer base in the city.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Fill, was Jillian Thiessen, and her fellow co-founder, Levi Friesen.

"It came as kind of a surprise," said Thiessen. "We are a smaller company and we didn't expect to be in the top three. Then when we won it was kinda overwhelming."

Their work in Swift Current to provide ethically sourced, sustainable, and non-harmful products has garnered them a lot of respect, especially since both women are mothers of three children a piece.

"We really wanna project this idea that women can do anything," said Thiessen. "Here's your mom, doing it and still being a mom and you know, kind of changing the face of the entrepreneurial spirit being male-dominated."

They have found so much success that they have been able to now set up a move onto Central Avenue North in downtown Swift Current, where they expect to move in by early December, once renovations of the location are complete.

"We do hope to build a bigger business and there's so much growth available within the sustainability kind of niche there," shared Thiessen. "There are so many more things we can do to bring more zero waste and more low waste products and Canadian focus as well into the community."