Bristol-based independent café and hospitality business Double Puc has received a six figure-funding boost to accelerate growth.
The investment has been provided from the British Business Bank's South West Investment Fund via appointed fund manager FW Capital and is assisting Double Puc’s expansion of their outside catering offering. The working capital boost is enabling them to meet growing demand and increase their capacity to secure further new contracts.
Double Puc was established in 2021 by Ed Brown and Griff Holland, founders of former café chain Friska. The duo are passionate hospitality professionals with a focus on providing sustainable hospitality using locally sourced fresh food and speciality coffees. Double Puc operates five cafés across Bristol – one standalone venture located at The Eye in Bristol and four further in-house café partnerships inside the iconic science museum We The Curious, Wake the Tiger, OVO Energy and most recently at the Crescent in Bristol’s Temple Quarter. The outside catering division of Double Puc works with a variety of blue chip customers across Bristol and due to increased demand the business was seeking funding to support its fast growth.
Ed Brown, Co-Founder of Double Puc said: “Griff and I are well versed in the hospitality business and founded Double Puc with the same ethos as Friska - to deliver sustainable hospitality to consumers and businesses across Bristol. We’ve had lots going on recently with the launch of our fifth café at The Crescent. The outside catering side is also going from strength to strength and we were seeking working capital to support expansion and meet the demands of new business wins. We’re grateful for the backing from FW Capital and the South West Investment Fund. Ben Donati has worked closely with us and been very pragmatic in his approach, taking the time to understand our business and offer competitive terms that work for small businesses like ours.”
Ben Donati, Investment Executive at FW Capital led the deal and explained: “Double Puc operates a very successful café business across some high profile sites. They have also built up a great reputation for its outside catering side of the business, which is where our funding is making a difference for them. The finance we have provided is giving them the confidence to meet the growing demand for outside catering from SME and corporate customers across the Bristol area.”
Lizzy Upton, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank said: “The South West Investment Fund is here to support growing, ambitious businesses across the region so they can access the finance they need to scale and thrive. Double Puc is a great example of that, where you have two passionate entrepreneurs committed to success and growing their businesses sustainably. We wish Ed and Griff all the best as they embark on their next stage of growth.”
The South West Investment Fund covers the entire South West region and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead. Fund manager FW Capital provides debt finance using the South West Investment Fund to businesses in Bristol, Gloucestershire, North and North East Somerset and Wiltshire.
The purpose of the South West Investment Fund is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the region. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance, providing funds to
firms that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.
Find out more at www.southwestinvestmentfund.co.uk and www.data-cubed.co.uk
