A Falmouth café owner is hoping to expand her business one industrial estate at a time with the help of £25,000 from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.
Amelia Smith has already established the successful Old Foundry Coffee takeaway outlet from a shipping container on Tregoniggie Industrial Estate and has just launched a sister site at Parkengue on Kernick Business Park in nearby Penryn.
Amelia was working as a primary school teacher when her builder husband, Jordan, complained that there was nowhere for him to get a decent cup of coffee or quality grub. “I had always flitted between teaching and food, and thought, ‘I could do that,’” said Amelia, who had learned her trade in pubs and cafés in West Cornwall.
Amelia Smith, Founder of Old Foundry Coffee
She has been selling sourdough toasties and homemade cakes ever since, using local suppliers wherever possible including Vicky’s Bread, Foundation Coffee, Ann’s Pasties and Trevarthen butchers. Three years on, she’s keen to replicate the business model elsewhere.
“I love the industrial estate vibe,” she enthuses. “It’s not glamorous and there are no sea views, but your customers are all locals and they want nice food. I know them all by name and what they do, and we have a chat.
“It does take a while for people to realise you’re there, and there’s no passing trade. The first year, I worked by myself, but the business grew year on year.” Amelia now has five staff working across the two sites.
The Start Up Loan has paid for a second 20ft container with serving hatch, fitted kitchen and outside seating area, “although most people take the food back to wherever they work”, says Amelia.
The new site is owned by Kernow Coatings. “They have been so accommodating and keen to help a local business – and they are keen to have good coffee on site.”
When it came to cash, Amelia talked to her high street bank but found insufficient accounts precluded her from a business loan.
The British Business Bank was Jordan’s idea, but time was short. “To qualify for a Start Up Loan, the business has to be less than three years old. Mine was two years and 10 months, so the race was on,” Amelia explains.
The Old Foundry at Kernick Business Park in Penryn.
Fortunately, SWIG Finance Start Up Loans manager Suzy Lowe was on the case. “Suzy was great – she has a background in catering herself, and she was on it. We had two months to fill in the application forms, and she helped me get it done with time to spare. It really helped to have an experienced pair of hands to guide me.”
The Start Up Loan was an indispensable part of Amelia’s growth strategy. “It made it possible to turn my idea of expanding the business into a reality,” she says. “I couldn’t have done it without that initial support, and would have struggled to get the finance by other means.
“The funding gave me the freedom to build the business properly from day one, and having a mentor to guide me through the early stages of development has been invaluable.”
The big question is, is two enough? “It took six months to get the first container sorted; the second took six weeks. I’m really excited to recreate them – I think I’d like five.”
Suzy Lowe, Start Up Loans Senior Officer at SWIG, said: “Creating a reputable brand that serves industrious workers with nutritious tasty food and drinks, Amelia has taken the roadside offering to a new level. Her vision for expansion has become a reality, all based on the foundation of quality products and exceptional service. It has been a pleasure listening to the pride in her voice when talking about her business and I am thrilled to have helped her achieve phase two.”
Start Up Loans is part of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director and free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business. In the South West the government-backed programme is delivered by the Bank’s Business Support Partner, SWIG Finance.
About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a people-based lender that provides loans and support to help smaller businesses in the South and West Country grow. We base our lending decisions on potential rather than collateral, which means that we can often support businesses when others can't.
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