The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company manufactures and supplies the world-famous black pudding delicacy, using traditional methods and a closely-guarded recipe which dates back to 1879.
Andrew Holt, proprietor of the company since 1993, identified an opportunity in the market to produce black puddings on a wholesale basis, initially mainly to wholesale butchers and, more recently, to the foodservice sector and retail multiples.
Andrew approached EV at a time when the business had outgrown its premises following the increase in demand. He was manufacturing and trading at two sites, and did not have the space to develop the product range and packaging. EV provided funding to support the relocation and associated costs alongside the company's bank and an equity investment from the proprietor, meeting the cost of refurbishment, machinery and equipment purchases and working capital requirements.
Glamorous Travel Limited, founded by Chinese and UK national Yan Zhang, is an inbound tour operator that specialises in providing tailor-made special-interest tour packages for Chinese nationals visiting Britain and Continental Europe.
Yan approached EV with her business plan, which set out her ambition to organise UK and European tours for Chinese nationals, in specific areas. Her field research in China suggested substantial un-met demand and limited competition in these markets, and increased interest in these areas amongst growing numbers of affluent Chinese people.
Yan was invited to meet with the EV investment team to talk through her personal aspirations for her business ideas, setting out her short to medium-term funding requirements. The EV team was very impressed with Yan’s entrepreneurial approach and her commercial ability, and was convinced by Yan of the business opportunity in the market.
Following negotiations with Yan and her business mentor, the all-important equity funding package was provided by the North West Fund for Venture Capital, to meet the company’s costs during its first year of trading.
Rock Networks Limited was established in 2011 by Stewart DeRoma (Managing Director), Dan Cunliffe (Technical Director) and Julian Jackson (Chairman). The team had worked together for a previous venture-backed business and, having played supporting roles in building two businesses through to successful exits, decided the time was right to take centre-stage and build a business of their own.
The company is a voice and data specialist, providing expert advice for companies looking to access the latest technology. It delivers everything a customer needs to work in an efficient and effective way from a single supplier and with one point of contact.
After a direct approach, the investment team met with the company directors and was impressed with their track records in building successful businesses and their experience in the industry. EV was able to put together a funding package to support the company's start-up costs to enable it to establish itself with the resources to meet all the unified IT and communication needs of its customers.
Edge Public Solutions was founded in 2010 by Managing Director, Jim Aspin, alongside a number of colleagues who had previously worked together for a venture-backed business and now wanted to run their own operation.
Edge Public Solutions works across the public sector offering sustainable transformation at a time when the public sector is being financially challenged like never before. Edge works with existing management teams to identify and deliver efficiencies without affecting the quality of service, whilst putting its fees at risk for non-delivery. In a political climate of additional scrutiny surrounding the use of external expertise, this is a hugely powerful proposition.
The investment from The North West Fund for Venture Capital enabled the company to build on a successful first year of trading, during which it was engaged by a number of local authorities across the UK as a partner in their strategic change management plans.
The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company manufactures and supplies a range of specialist puddings, using traditional methods and a closely guarded recipe which dates back to 1879.Andrew Holt, proprietor of The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company since 1993, identified an opportunity in the market to produce black puddings on a wholesale basis, initially supplying mainly wholesale butchers and, more recently, the food sector and multiple retailers.The company now manufactures and supplies specialist black, white and vegetarian puddings, using traditional methods and a closely guarded recipe which dates back to 1879.The puddings have won many major awards, including The Best Black Pudding in Great Britain, as well as numerous European awards year after year in France, Belgium and The Netherlands. The product range has featured on Rick Stein’s BBC series, Food Heroes and is stocked by a number of national supermarkets as well as London’s exclusive Fortnum & Mason.
Andrew approached EV at a time when the business had outgrown its premises as a result of an increase in market demand, and was manufacturing and trading at two sites, and simply did not have the space to develop its product range and packaging. EV discussed with Andrew the possibility of providing funding to support the relocation and associated costs of providing an investment, and EV was able to arrange a loan, on behalf of its client, Rosebud, and alongside the company’s bank and proprietor’s contributions, which supported the cost of refurbishment, machinery & equipment purchases and working capital requirements.EV Small Firms is able to consider businesses at all stages of their development from start-ups through to expansion finance to management buy-out opportunities.