Amanda Stansfield: Owner of “Granny Gothards”
“What a journey… I never expected to be hopping on a plane bound for Dubai to find myself in the middle of the desert with my new distribution company. I was looking for a way to tap into a new market, to help us get over the seasonality of our UK base, but I never dreamt that this trip would land us with an order for three tons of ice cream – to be delivered in three weeks…”
More precisely that was one tonne of strawberry, one tonne of chocolate and one tonne of vanilla – but still just three weeks… How did that happen? Let’s just step back a little and rewind to how it all started: it’s 2011 and Amanda overhears a conversation about a small ice cream producer by the name of Granny Gothards. The owners are selling up.
“That was it. It was one of those moments when you think. ‘Well that’s an idea… could be interesting’. The scene was set and I was ready for a change, so I did the ‘Dragons’’ Den’ pitch to my Husband … and I went for it.”
At this stage we are talking small scale production and a whole lot of hard work, with one 10 litre machine and a limited customer base, this was never going to be easy, but the product is fabulous. All Granny Gothards ice cream is made on the Crème Anglaise principle; full cream milk and eggs… you simply do not find this method in other ‘top of the range’ brands… they all sold out ages ago.
Amanda: “It was very clear early on that the business had to expand and we needed finance. The banks? They could offer no help at all and crowd funding was just not right. I found Start Point Finance and met with Tim and everything became possible. First, a conversation, then a visit along with some business accounts and Tim was able to provide no nonsense, clear advice where the options were all well-presented and easily accessible – perfect.
Tim: “We’ve worked closely with Amanda over many years now, initially helping with asset finance before facilitating the expansion plans using a combination of invoice finance and commercial loan; like many businesses there are often many choices, it’s just a case of taking the time to understand the business, we then pull together the accounts, complete the paperwork and take that to the lenders, who by the way are looking to invest in businesses just like Granny Gothards; strong brands with an unique offer and a well-defined market.
So, what about those plans? Amanda; “We have distributors across the UK and we work directly with some the best Micheline Chefs and we supply high profile restaurants at Blenheim Palace and The Barbican… and we continue with flavour development – producing market specific products like Rosewater and Gold-leaf, Pistachio and Honeycomb and Almond Butter… and yes, we have big plans for the future too including a new venture which all came about through our work with the Exeter Chiefs…
And apart from the milk and eggs what’s the secret ingredient?
Amanda: “Every successful business has to consider finance and for many smaller businesses you need to work with people who care and who take the time to understand; with Start Point Finance it’s like having your own in-house team, giving more than advice; Tim shares the plans, he gets involved and gives you the faith! And then of course the milk and the eggs… the energy and imagination – and the mantra: ‘no compromise’ …. Along with one golden rule…. never let people run out of ice cream!