Success stories

Restoration of Wales’ last working windmill sees sails turn again on Ynys Môn. Melin Llynon is restored to former glory following funding from Isle of Anglesey County Council and British Business Bank

An architect from Newport has started an eco-hut business, creating sustainable places and spaces for a variety of purposes following a Start Up Loan.

Learn how Clare Lewis started her business Hello Good Pie with help from a loan from Start Up Loans.

Cardiff craft brewery blooms following second Start Up Loan. Best friends and co-founders of Flowerhorn Brewery look to expand offering.

Louis Watkins, 23, from Newport, founded his business Clear For Men. Clear For Men is a men’s mental health awareness and online skincare brand, encouraging men to ‘take five’ through their daily cleansing routine.

The pair were helped initially by a £2,000 Start Up Loan to invest in their first commercial 3D printer. Three years on, with 40 more printers and a further £12,000 recently received from the British Business Bank, Lunia 3D has cemented itself as a key player on the flourishing 3D printing stage.

Feral Pigs Wine is a wine shop in Newport, Pembrokeshire and established by trained sommelier and former restaurant manager at Llys Meddyg, Dave Cushley.

An artist from Llandudno Junction is opening a contemporary gallery in Colwyn Bay aimed at breaking down barriers in the art world and reinvigorating North Wales’s cultural scene by incorporating the world of NFTs and the Metaverse.

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.

Matt, a triathlete, outdoors-enthusiast, and Joby, a designer with a passion for running, took out a loan of £25,000 in April 2021 to launch Dryad, an outdoor sportswear company for women based in Wales.

Pontyclun-based bespoke drum manufacturer, Tarian Drums, the first of its kind in Wales, will soon see its drums on some of the biggest stages in the world, a major feat for a home-grown Welsh firm first established by two close friends in 2020.

Start Up Loans recipient Clare Pledger, from Cardiff-based firm, House of Curls, an e-tailer specialising in curly and natural hair products, who received a £20,000 Start Up Loan via Business in Focus said: “I discovered the incredibly passionate curly hair community...

Aoife Doherty set up her business in November 2020 after graduating from the University of Reading with a BA Hons in Graphic Design.

Father and son team, Trevor and Peter Jones, run the Eden Education Centre, the largest innovation education studio in Europe.

Katerina Pavlakis had a background in both running her own business and working in London. When she and her husband, Colin Bass, moved to rural north Wales, they were keen to start something more local to save them from a long commute.

Goji Hair is an exclusive, organic hair salon in the Pontcanna suburb of Cardiff, started by Victoria Griffin.

Having been made redundant after working with the Princes Trust for many years Christopher Evans decided to go it alone and start his own business venture.