Expert support from Berkshire Growth Hub results in green success story for Berkshire food business
The Green Bike Food Company, HQ’d in Reading was founded to provide high-quality food to hungry office workers all while minimising the impact on the environment. Launched during the pandemic, it has grown to encompass a fleet of green vehicles delivering catering services to Reading and beyond.
Tom Daniels, co-founder and Operations Director first contacted the Berkshire Growth Hub seeking support with streamlining business processes and accessing financial support. Having researched local business groups, Tom got in touch with the Growth Hub, and with the support of a Business Adviser Tom and his co-founder Jack have been able to grow the business, making valuable contacts and helping ensure financial sustainability:
“I got in touch when my start-up was in a financially unstable place looking for advice on loans and grants. I managed to make some great contacts, and obtained advice on balancing my books and cost minimisation leading to my business now being on an upturn and achieving back to back record months.”
Having come through the pandemic with support from the Berkshire Growth Hub, Tom and his co-founder now consider it a key resource for their business, making the most of the expert, localised and personalised advice on offer to ensure continued success:
“I now utilise the fantastic support of the team to check in when I need advice from someone outside of the business. The opportunity for my business partner and I to talk and review each week saw us implement better strategies, better review points and better processes which will have benefitted us a lot.”
As Tom notes, growing a catering business during a pandemic was a difficult task, but it was made easier with the support of Berkshire Growth Hub Business Adviser, Sara:
“I do believe we would have found a way to get out of where we were during the pandemic, but I don’t think it would have been as easy without the time and support from Business Adviser, Sara.”
Record returns and streamlined systems
Having come through the pandemic, and set for growth, the future of The Green Bike Food Company is exciting. As Tom shares:
“We have doubled monthly sales levels in three months and have finally found a structured process where the business has begun to run autonomously.”
Tom is grateful for the support of the Berkshire Growth Hub and its Business Advisers and would encourage other Berkshire businesses to make the most of the support on offer.
As he says:
“Words I’d use to describe the Business Advisers? Supportive, succinct, friendly, level-headed and insightful”.
