Natural Cosmetics company, PitTastic!, is the latest business to receive a Start Up Loan through SWIG Finance.

The loan, provided by the Start Up Loans Company, will enable business owner, Alice Bardwell, to fit her shop interior and cover the costs of market development to increase product visibility.

PitTastic! is a plastic free, 100% natural, 100% biodegradable solid deodorant bar, which is packaged in a practical hand embossed travel-sized tin, so you can take it with you wherever you go.

Alice Bardwell

Alice Bardwell (Photography by Gaby Sweet Photography)

These deodorant bars cater for anyone and everyone, including vegans and those with sensitive skin. For anyone who is environmentally conscious, this product will have a huge appeal.

From her shop, based in the quaint village of Ottery St Mary, Alice formulates and manufacturers the deodorant bars from scratch.

The shop renovations will include the customer facing aspects, such as window and POS displays, as well as the back-end, manufacturing areas which will provide the facility to make bulk orders and store them until they are ready to be distributed as wholesale orders.

Alice’s business journey began in 2018, when she set up one of the UK’s first zero waste, plastic free shops, which ignited her passion to help reduced plastic waste on land and sea. This led to her spotting a gap in the market for a fragrant natural cosmetics range.

Alice’s story is incredibly inspiring, as in 2019, she suffered a stroke which left her unable to speak, read or write properly. To work around her injury, Alice began formulating and creating her solid deodorant bars. She found the process of formulating the perfectly balanced recipe therapeutic and this spurred her on the develop solid foundations for her business.

Alice’s short- and long-term plans include expanding her wholesale customer base, expanding her product range and distributing her products across Europe.

As well as this, Alice wants to use her own life experiences to help others who are suffering with mental health problems. Alice plans to create a charity where people can take advantage of the therapeutic benefits of making PitTastic! deodorant bars, while connecting with people to talk together.

Of the funding, Alice said “The funding will enable me to move my business forwards at a much quicker pace. My dedicated business manager, Nicki Kimberley was very knowledgeable and ensured that the application process ran smoothly.”

SWIG Finance’s Business Manager, Nicki Kimberley, led the deal. Nicki commented “We were delighted to be able to support Alice in growing her business. She is a very inspiring person and we are sure that her business will be successful”.

Richard Bearman, Managing Director at Start Up Loans, said: “Start Up Loans is here to help people like Alice Bardwell gain access to the funding and support they need to start a business. What Alice has achieved with PitTastic! is commendable and I’m proud Start Up Loans has played a part in helping her and so many others across the country to realise their ambition of business ownership.”

About SWIG Finance

SWIG Finance is the South West’s leading Community Development Financial Institution. We are passionate about bringing social and economic benefits to people and places in the South West.

We do this by providing support and finance to Startups and growing SMEs that can create and secure employment opportunities.

As the South West’s leading delivery partner for Start Up Loans UK, we can provide startup loans from £500 – £25,000. For more information visit https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/start-up-loans

We also have loans from £10,000 to £250,000 available to South West SMEs who cannot access sufficient funding from their bank https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/funds-available/

For an informal discussion about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to find out how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 932.