A young Bermudian businesswoman has been honoured by prestige business magazine Forbes; after launching a modern take on muesli in the UK.

Anna Mackenzie and her English business partner in food firm Cuckoo, Lucy Wright, were both picked for the Forbes “30 under 30” list for Europe, which singles out young entrepreneurs.

The two, who met at school in England, won the retail and e-commerce category.

Ms Mackenzie, 27, said: “The nomination came as a bit of a surprise and we are really excited to be recognised by Forbes.

“We have worked really hard to establish Cuckoo as an exciting new food brand in the UK and it is always good to get recognition.”

She added: “We’re really pleased — it’s always good to get recognition for your hard work.”

Ms Mackenzie said that the recognition would give the fledgling firm more clout in negotiations with retailers as well.

She added: “It validates what you’re doing and any PR is always valuable from a business point of view. It’s good for the business.”

And Ms Mackenzie said: “There are a number of young Bermudians making their mark on the international stage and I would encourage all young Bermudians to pursue their dreams and aspirations as we have done.”

The partners were also finalists in last year’s Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the start-up category.

Ms Mackenzie, originally from Pembroke and a former pupil at Bermuda High School, met Ms Wright at Oundle School in Northamptonshire, England, when she moved there to finish her high school education.

The two founded Cuckoo — which makes on-the-go pots of Bircher muesli, a mix of oats, yoghurt and fruit mixed with apple juice — in 2013.

They have since struck deals with major UK supermarket chains Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-op to stock their products, which come in a variety of flavours, like apple and cinnamon spice and mango and coconut.

Cuckoo mueslis are now in 30 Tesco supermarkets, 30 Waitrose ones, and 1000 Co-op stores across the UK, as well as in upmarket department store Selfridges in London.

Cuckoo products also feature in Dayleford Organic shops and in coffee chain AMT Coffee, as well as other independent delicatessens and cafés.

The duo this month completed a deal with UK online grocery store Ocado to stock Cuckoo.

Ms Mackenzie and Ms Wright tried Bircher muesli, originally created by Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner in 1900, to get patients eating more fresh fruit and grains.

Ms Mackenzie and her mother Lorna worked together to create a new recipe that she and Ms Wright decided to market in the UK.

Ms Wright said: “We thought the on-the-go breakfast and snack sector needed a fresh brand which was as much a treat for the taste buds as it was for the body.”