The President stressed that while there are many companies of all types and sizes in our country who all understandably share the desire for profit, some distinguish themselves by consciously also caring about creating other types of wealth: creating and improving opportunities for women; mentoring and empowering informal and early stage businesses; improving and encouraging job creation, as well as the involvement of employees.
The Homegrown Awards were created to showcase the achievements of Proudly South African members and the diverse spectrum of South African companies, large and small, whose dynamism and innovation display a positive contribution to local sustainable growth. Adjudicated by a representative panel of Proudly South African leaders from business, government and the community, the competition attracted an impressive 368 submissions from 198 SME companies and 25 corporates, and included a multitude of resourceful innovations with a rousing sense of entrepreneurship.
From this list, 38 finalists were chosen before the judges went on to select nine winners from the corporate category (150 employees or more) and 10 from the SME (of less than 150 employees) category.
The winners of the Homegrown Awards 2004 (see attached profiles for contact details):
| Company of the Year | National Brands |
| Retailer of the Year | Galaxy & Co. Jewellery |
| Pick 'n Pay | |
| Employer of the Year | National Brands Limited |
| Service of the Year | Karan Beef (Pty) Ltd |
| Product of the Year | G.U.D Filters |
| Exporter of the Year | No Award |
| Innovator of the Year | Mustek |
| Marketer of the Year | Irvin & Johnson Ltd |
| Bridging the Divide Award | Pick 'n Pay |
| Employee of the Year | No Award |
| Company of the Year | De Wetshof Estate |
| Retailer of the Year | No Award |
| Employer of the Year | No Award |
| Service of the Year | Benefit Recovery Services |
| Product of the Year | Roth Medical |
| Exporter of the Year | Environ |
| Innovator of the Year | Roth Medical Components |
| Marketer of the Year | First Pharm Pharmaceuticals |
| Bridging the Divide Award | Streetwires Artists Collective |
| Cora's Costumes | |
| Lusi Express Service | |
| Employee of the Year | Althea Williams, First Pharm Pharmaceuticals |
Guests at the awards included President Thabo Mbeki, Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa, Minister of Trade and Industry, Tim Modise, Chairman of Proudly South African, Board members of Proudly South African and founder sponsors, representatives from NEDLAC, Ronnie Watson, CEO of WesBank a major Homegrown Awards sponsor, finalists in the Proudly South African Homegrown Awards as well as representatives of business, government, labour and the broader community amongst others.
"The Homegrown Awards is a unique opportunity for Proudly South African members to be recognised and profiled as Proudly South African achievers," said Phillip Dexter, acting Executive Director of Proudly South African.
Dexter added that the judges had to work hard to ensure the entrants' products and activities truly supported the mission and values of Proudly South African. "It's one thing to be innovative and successful as a local company, but we wanted to see how the companies were using Proudly South African to 'flag' their achievements," he said.
He noted that the qualities that singled out the winners from the rest of the high calibre entries were their creative use of the Proudly South African brand, and their emphasis on local content and promoting a Proudly South African mindset. "The Homegrown Awards winners have been singled out for the contribution they have made to the promotion of South African innovation, employment, exports and consumer choice," he said in conclusion.
Homegrown Awards 2004 winners were presented with handcrafted wire creations made by Cape-based wire and sculpture company, Streetwires Artists Collective. Each trophy is a unique work of art modelled on a three-dimensional rendition of the Homegrown logo. As one of the first members of the Proudly South African campaign, it is fitting that the trophies were made by Streetwires. Each trophy is special in its own way - it has its own personality and a unique story to tell - just like the person or team it has been awarded to. The trophies were presented by WesBank CEO Ronnie Watson and Proudly South African founders sponsors: SA Airways, Telkom, Eskom, PetroSA, Barloworld and Old Mutual.
