Start-Up Loan helps generate jobs at Manchester fast food business
Firebird Hope is transforming its premium fast food business in Manchester using a £5,000 Start-Up Loan from GC Business Finance.
Serving a distinctive free-range chicken and vegan menu, Firebird Hope has expanded from a trial pop-up earlier this year to launching a permanent kitchen at Manchester’s YES performance space this week, which will employ 13 people.
Having advised start-up food and retail businesses on their technology choices during his time working at Apple, Firebird Hope founder Dan Hope is now using the Start-Up Loan to develop his own food business specialising in free-range chicken and vegan sandwiches made with a secret seasoning.
The business originally launched as a pop-up at the Hatch scheme in Manchester and has gone on to be shortlisted for the Best Street Food Trader award at the 2018 Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards.
Having built a loyal and appreciative customer base, Dan is now moving to a permanent kitchen at acclaimed performance venue YES as well as operating Pepperoni Playboy, the in-house pizza counter at the same venue.
Future plans for Firebird Hope include establishing new trading locations that will enable the business to operate over permanent and pop up sites as well as developing home delivery and event catering operations across Manchester and the North West.
Dan Hope said: “When I decided to start up my own business, GC Business Finance was very quickly able to help me with the finance and the mentoring support I needed.
“Having worked with lots of start-up food and drink businesses in my recent time at Apple, it’s very exciting to be bringing my own business to life, creating jobs locally and to be putting plans in place to see where we can take Firebird Hope over the next few years.”
Ashley Alletson, loan manager at GC Business Finance, said: “Like many of the entrepreneurs we work with, Dan has taken a very big decision in changing his career path to follow his passion, something that without access to responsible and low interest finance like that offered by Start-Up Loans, would be difficult for him to do.
“He has developed a concept that is really taking Manchester by storm and we’re looking forward to supporting him with our mentoring programme and any follow-on finance he may need to take Firebird Hope to the next level.”
GC Business Finance, the North West delivery partner of the Government’s national £310m Start-Up Loans programme, will see £15m allocated to new start-ups across the North West over a two-year period, creating around 3,000 new businesses and more than 5,000 new jobs in the region.
GC Business Finance is the finance arm of The Growth Company and supported by the GM Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership.
GC Business Finance is a key alternative source of funding for businesses in Greater Manchester and has grown a comprehensive range of finance products from £500 through to £500,000, with support on raising early stage equity through the GM Co Investment Fund of up to £2m.
GC Business Finance currently manages more than £100m of publicly-backed small business investments across the UK.
