Garage Coffee Ltd based just outside Canterbury, was set up in 2015 by Luke Underdown. Luke had a mission – to sell great tasting coffee! With the help of a Start Up Loan he’d secured he bought a roaster and started roasting coffee beans sourced from speciality farms all over the world to perfection, supplying local independent cafes and speciality food retailers.
In addition, Luke had also identified that to truly sell great tasting coffee some of the outlets needed support on training staff on how to make that perfect brew. With the addition of his own retail site at Fruitworks, a thriving Coworking space in in Canterbury, he now also has the experience to give hints and tips on point of sale and shop layout to really work with and support clients, not just supply to them.
The launch of www.garageroasted.co.uk rounded off the Garage Coffee experience, providing a subscription service so Luke’s great tasting coffee can also be made at home.
So how has South East Business Boost helped?
“The demand for the coffee was greater than the amount we could produce!” said Luke. After his success obtaining the Start Up Loan, Luke took to the internet to see if there was anything else available that might be able to help. He found South East Business Boost.
Luke applied and was successful and has now purchased the larger roaster which will produce the same amount of coffee in half a day that currently takes two days. Luke said, “Over two days we will quadruple the amount of coffee we have to sell, allowing us to increase our drive to supply more businesses with great tasting coffee. Without the grant we wouldn’t have been able to purchase the new roaster as quickly and harness the momentum to fulfil the company’s potential.”
Luke would obviously recommend SEBB to other businesses looking for some help. He particularly recommends it to the coffee shops he deals with looking to purchase new equipment to enable them to grow.
Luke said,” I was surprised at how quick and easy – straightforward it was to get and how helpful everyone has been throughout the process. It isn’t too good to be true and it really has helped our business to grow.”
For more details on South East Business Boost Click the LINK HERE and complete the eligibility questionnaire! See if it could help you just like it has Luke…