Case Studies

Lisa Storey, founder of EZ Hampers, a sustainable gift company which sources sustainable products solely from positive impact businesses.

A Gen Z 23-year-old hotel worker is embarking on her own hospitality venture, after securing funding to purchase and restore a rustic shepherd’s hut on the North Coast 500.

Tom Newey, aged 22 helped start his business with a Start Up Loan. Established in 2020, his award-winning dessert business, Layers Treats offers handmade Belgian chocolate treats for all occasions

Joel Jones, 24, from Cornwall applied for a £20,000 Start Up Loan, provided through SWIG Finance, to convert a classic VW campervan into a mobile cocktail bar and launch his business, The Mixer, aimed at weddings and parties.

Blake Bentley, aged 22, took out a £5,000 loan for his business, The Scran Man, in March 2021.The business, based in Great Barr in Birmingham, is dedicated to bringing customers authentic, fresh and tasty American street food such as Philly cheesesteaks, fried chicken and signature burgers.

Former RAF Senior Aircraftman Emma Swiggs opened the Dandelion Coffee House thanks to a £6000 Start Up Loan from X-Forces Enterprise.

Best friends of 22 years Fabian Clark and Rohan Radhakrishnan co-founded the business in 2021 after seeing a gap in the existing all-or-nothing booze market. The low-alcohol, low-calorie gin product gives customers a great tasting alternative, without the possible side effects of the higher-alcohol options.

A landscape architect turned liqueur maker from Skewen has established an artisanal liqueur business inspired by the slow food movement, linking the pleasure of using traditional methods, sustainable ingredients and slow consumption for maximum taste.

Glasgow-based DamGoodDrams, an ecommerce platform specialising in independent spirits, is gearing up to launch its own line of whisky and take its business overseas, following a successful first year.

Chantal Charles-Smith took out a £25,000 loan in April 2021 to launch Laughing Llama Coffee and Bistro, a family-friendly destination in York.

Three female entrepreneurs used funding from Start Up Loans to launch an Indian restaurant and takeaway in Nottingham.

Helen Conway alongside her daughter Angharad and son-in-law Lance, launched their bakery business Ty Melin Bakery during coronavirus lockdown in March 2020. The trio had discussed starting a family venture for several years and had had an initial business plan drafted for over 2 ½ years.

Former baristas Theo Garcia, 24, and Alex Foss Sims, 29, met while working in a coffee shop in Gloucestershire. They started producing bottled, chilled coffee after noticing a growing demand for cold brew amongst coffee lovers.

Read 40 St Pauls's story and learn how Start Up Loans helped them.

The Poptata story began in May 2015 with a temporary gazebo set up at London’s Portobello Road market over the weekend. Marco and Luca wanted to share their passion for Fries with Londoners, they knew they would love them.

Former steelworker Mark Fairley has launched his own traditional American BBQ business in a bright yellow high school bus.

Upon returning to his childhood home of Nottingham Matt Hinton, having developed a strong passion in real ale and all things hoppy soon discovered that unlike Sheffield, where he had moved from, there was a real gap in the market for a serious beer retailer.

After working in the pub industry for 10 years Peter Gardner saw the company he worked for go under and he lost his job. Deciding to start over he taught himself how to make chocolate online and set up his first storeand with the support of £10,000 from the Start Up Loans Company – Cocoa Amore was born.