Celebrating 10 Years of Cold Banana!
9 min read
Celebrating 10 Years of Cold Banana
In 2015, Cold Banana started with one person, a laptop, and a very clear belief. That great digital experiences are built when smart technology meets genuine human understanding.
What began with our founder Luke Fribbens working from a spare room in Bournemouth has grown into a specialist .NET tech and performance marketing agency; trusted by enterprise organisations in the United Kingdom and around the world!
Fast forward to today, and Cold Banana is now a team of 25+ talented software developers, marketeers, and strategists working across both our UK HQ and Dubai offices; delivering enterprise level digital platforms and performance marketing insights that are built to grow your business in line with your ambitions...
How Did Cold Banana Start?
Cold Banana was founded with a simple mission. Build digital solutions that actually work for the people using them. From day one that meant focusing on performance, usability, and long term value rather than quick wins.
Early projects with locally based Dorset businesses helped establish our reputation for technical excellence, particularly within the Microsoft ecosystem. As trust grew in Cold Banana as a powerhouse of .NET development, so did the complexity of the work and the ambition of our clients.
How Did Cold Banana’s Team and Culture Grow?
As projects evolved, so did Cold Banana. What started as a one person operation steadily became a close knit team of developers, strategists, designers and delivery specialists.
2017 marked a landmark year for us, with then .NET developer Ollie Storey shortlisted for “IT Star of the Future” in The Rock Star Awards. Fast forward to 2025, and Ollie is now Managing Director at Cold Banana! This was also the year where we won our first business award (the “Dorset Business Award for Creative and Digital Impact”) in recognition of an Umbraco development project for a well-known national brand.
Awards, Accreditation and Recognition
The talents of our team and the hard work they deliver every day has been recognised by many organisations over the years, with some highlights including...
- RAR Rated Agency in 2018 - It was a big accomplishment for us to become RAR recommended in Software Development and Web Development! It shows that Cold Banana is recognised by the industry's leading agency listing and rating register, which provides companies with a way to rate agencies on their services, value for money and technical ability.
- Umbraco Gold Partner recognition in 2019 - Our expertise in the Umbraco CMS was recognised by Umbraco themselves! Our Gold Partner status continues to signal to our clients the knowledge and value we bring to our Umbraco services.
- Nomination for 3 Wirehive awards in 2019 - We were nominated for no less than 3 Wirehire awards and celebrated as one of the top 50 Wirehive agencies! Award nominations included Cold Banana as “Fastest Growth as an Agency”, Luke Fribbens as “Best Agency Leader” and Ollie Storey as “Rising Star”.
- World’s Best Umbraco Cloud Solution Winner in 2020 - We won the “World’s Best Umbraco Cloud Solution” award in recognition of our outstanding work with Imperial Brands.
- UK Dev Awards in 2024 - Shortlisted for three awards including “Project of the Year” for our work on the petrehomer.org website, Cold Banana as “Dev Agency of the Year” in the small agency classification, and recognition of Managing Director Ollie Storey as “Rising Star” for his commendable transition into a leadership role.
- Bournemouth Business Awards in 2024 - Shortlisted and won “The Bournemouth University Business Innovation Award”, “Young Entrepreneur” for Ollie Storey’s transition to a leadership role at Cold Banana, and a third unexpected win as “Overall Business of the Year” by collective decision of Bournemouth Business Award judges!
- Sitecore Silver Partner in 2025 - With Sitecore Solution Partners being website development firms recognised by Sitecore as experts in the CMS, this certification is a true reflection of our years of expertise in delivering powerful digital experiences built on Sitecore’s leading composable DXP.
Over the years we have moved offices a few times to larger and larger headquarters in Bournemouth to accommodate our growing team and expanding needs of our clients. Furthermore, we have continued to invest heavily in building a culture that values curiosity, collaboration and craft. Cold Banana has always been about more than code. It is about people who care deeply about doing the right thing for clients and for each other.
How Did Cold Banana Expand to Become an International Agency?
A major milestone in our journey was expanding our physical presence internationally with the launch of our Dubai office. This move allowed us to better support our global clients, marking a new chapter for Cold Banana as a truly international agency.
With teams now working across time zones, we are able to bring broader perspective and round the clock momentum to the projects we deliver. Its a natural evolution for a business that has always looked forward rather than standing still.
What Businesses has Cold Banana Worked With?
Over the past decade we have partnered with numerous incredible organisations. From financial services and insurance agencies such as Vanquis and Event Insurance, to public services and construction (Wessex Internet and TIMCO), our client list reflects the trust placed in Cold Banana to deliver secure, scalable and high performing digital platforms that convert to drive business success.
We are also proud to be recognised as an Umbraco Gold Partner, a Sitecore Silver Partner, and an Optimizely Bronze Partner as we continue to push the boundaries of what CMS and DXP platforms can do for enterprise level businesses.
Always Evolving
If there is one constant at Cold Banana, it is change. Technology moves fast and so do we. Over the years our services have expanded beyond .NET Tech development to include Performance Marketing insights and Digital Transformation services such as Search Engine Optimisation and Conversion Rate Optimisation alongside Shopify builds and platform support.
What has not changed however is our mindset. We still approach every project with curiosity, honesty and a focus on outcomes that matter, ensuring that we continue to build digital solutions that actually work for the people using them.
Looking Ahead to the Future
Ten years in and we are just getting started! The next chapter for Cold Banana is about deeper partnerships, bolder ideas, and continuing to build a business that our team and clients are proud to work with.
To everyone who has been a part of our journey so far, thank you. Here is to the next ten years of making technology work harder and smarter for the businesses we work with!
If you or your business want to be a part of the next 10 years of business innovation, get in touch to discuss how Cold Banana can bring fresh insight to your business’ online presence! - https://www.coldbanana.com/contact
At Cold Banana, we've been helping businesses like yours thrive since 2015. Our expertise span across custom web development, seamless integrations and user-friendly platforms.
If you'd like to learn more about how we can support you, get in touch.