Presented on January 25 by the Rotary Club of Daylesford, the business awards acknowledged community pride, high ethical standards and a dedication to their work.

This year 60 individual nominations were received for five businesses and eight employees.

Daylesford Rotary Club member Lesley Hewitt said each year the rotary club presented awards on Australia Day to encourage business and occupational excellence.

The 2012 Apprentice Award for Excellence went to Carmen Burns.

Ms Hewitt said: "Carmen works at The Perfect Drop in Howe Street and was nominated because she is a dedicated apprentice working hard in her field.

"During her training Carmen was asked to develop a sweet dish of her own design," Ms Hewitt said. "It was so good, it is now on the menu."

The 2012 Employee Award for Excellence went to Tracey Slater from Shizuka Ryokan in Hepburn Springs.

Ms Hewitt said Tracey provided leadership and continuity to the housekeeping functions, particularly with short-term Japanese workers.

"Described as a quiet achiever, this award for Tracey recognises the important and critical role that support staff play in contributing to the tourism experience that is of such economic importance in the shire," she said.

"Shizuka Ryokan is a well known and respected local business, having won the 2006 Rotary Award for Business Excellence, and is a three-time winner of the Hepburn Regional Tourism Award.

"As Tracey's employer notes, these achievements could not be done without an excellent team of employees, and Tracey's diligence and eye for detail contributes to this."

Cafe 3460, and Kim Lyndon, won the 2012 Business Excellence Award.

Ms Hewitt said the cafe was a third time winner for this award, which demonstrated a commitment to the local community and a willingness to take that extra step for customers.

"This may be driving them home, making rooms available for meetings, or always being welcoming," she said.

"A number of the nominations for the cafe commented on the atmosphere and the friendliness, the service and the staff's willingness to cater for customer's special requests."