North West business briefs: Baltic Market; Umbria Green Heart; Hydes Brewery; Avrenim; Simpson Millar; Journeyable
Baltic Market is welcoming a new trader in the run-up to Christmas, bringing super-fresh, fully loaded Mexican burritos to Liverpool’s first street food market.
Listo Burrito will be become the latest small independent business to open its kitchen at the market tomorrow (November 22), joining current residents including Hafla Hafla, Pattersons, Spice Thai, Polpetta, La Bistroteca, Little Furnace, The Midnight Delivery and Press Bros. The burrito specialist has become a firm favourite in Liverpool since it arrived on Dale Street in June 2017 – the same month that Baltic Market first opened its doors.
Owner, Roger Taylor, is still operating with the team of staff who helped him launch here, serving made-to-order burritos and rice boxes every weekday lunchtime. Now Listo Burrito is marking a successful six years, and a growing fanbase of loyal customers, by adding a second venue in the city at Baltic Market, the home and hub of local, independent traders.
To celebrate, it’s created a new Baltic Bites menu featuring some of its most ordered dishes and including its trademark grilled meats which are freshly cooked overnight on-site every day.
Alongside its signature Buenos Burritos, soft floury tortillas packed with meat, veggie and vegan fillings, salsas and sauces, there’ll be nachos piled high with a choice of toppings, and its much-loved loaded potato pops – a crispy side that’s become a star in its own right.
Oliver Press, co-founder of Baltic Market, said: “Listo Burrito is hugely popular with daytime customers in Liverpool city centre, you only have to see the queues that regularly spill out onto Dale Street to know that. At Baltic Market, we try to bring together traders who showcase really great quality street food from all over the world, so we’re looking forward to Listo Burrito joining us to bring fantastic Mexican food to their existing fans and to a whole new nighttime audience.”
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Marco Rapaccini, left, and Davide Guerrieri
An Italian entrepreneur who has made his home near Kendal has achieved his dream of setting up a company to import the finest food and drink products from his native Umbria, to Cumbria.
Now, Marco Rapaccini wants to establish more partnerships with Cumbrian restaurants, hotels, delicatessens and producers to highlight the amazing food and drink products available in each region. Marco, 29, said setting up Umbria Green Heart, with premises in Burneside, has always been his dream. He said: “I believe that food and drink bring people together and that they are central to our health, our environment and our future.”
Umbria is called the ‘Green Heart of Italy’ because it is located exactly in the middle of Italy and has maintained a natural and green landscape. Marco said Umbria and Cumbria had many similarities, including lovely scenery, a strong agricultural and hospitality sector and authentic and genuine people, so it made sense to share their food and drink products.
Umbria Green Heart has been launched by Marco, a software engineer, and his friend and business partner Davide Guerrieri, who both grew up in Foligno, a market town in Umbria. Marco said: “We select, import and sell the best quality products Umbria can offer and only from producers we personally know and who we can trust.”
Marco acknowledged the support Umbria Green Heart had received from Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s Growth Hub programme and from the Cumbria Innovations Platform, a partnership between Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria.
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Tom Allkins, left, and Adam Hyde
Salford-based brewer and pub retailer Hydes, said it is ensuring the future of the business is in good hands after Hydes family member and brewery employee Tom Allkins, passed his Level 4 brewing apprenticeship with distinction.
Established in 1863, Hydes is commemorating its 160th anniversary this year. Tom, who is the nephew of Adam Hyde, the longest serving employee and family member in the business as company secretary, has now been promoted from brewing apprentice to laboratory manager at Hydes brewery premises in Salford. In addition to Tom’s apprenticeship achievements, fellow brewery worker, Tom Rostron, has also passed his apprenticeship and has been appointed Hydes’ brewery manager.
To celebrate Tom’s promotion and exciting journey within the family business, both he and Adam Hyde were invited to the newly-opened Hydes premium dining pub, The Harry Beswick, in Heswall, on the Wirral. Tom had the honour of pulling the first official Hydes pint from the newly-installed pumps, serving it to his uncle Adam.
The £3.6m Harry Beswick is the first new Hydes establishment to open in five years. Hydes acquired the landmark building, formerly Heswall’s community police station, in 2022, costing £1.3m. The acquisition of the building was Hydes’ first property acquisition since 2018.
Tom Allkins said: “It feels great to be making my own way within the family business and to continue the brewing traditions started 160 years ago. It was an honour to attend the opening of our latest establishment and officially welcome the Harry Beswick into the Hydes pub family.”
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Simon Harris with Avrenim team
Liverpool-based facilities management firm, Avrenim, has secured a raft of new project wins across the country, with a combined value in excess of £3.6m during quarter three, following an already impressive start to the year.
A provider of people-orientated facilities management, consultancy, design and project delivery, Avrenim specialises in regulated environments and renewable initiatives. Recent project wins include the awarding of a design and build contract worth more than £1.7m by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust for the remodelling and expansion of its existing clinical space and theatre capacity.
Additional projects also include the refurbishment of a Youth and Community Centre on behalf of Merseyside Youth Association worth £1.4m. Avrenim was retained to develop a building suitable to deliver more services to local residents, as well as modifying the building to suit future needs and provide energy efficient solutions, ensuring maximum benefit to the project while achieving energy efficiency targets. Furthermore, Avrenim has also been awarded almost £500,000-worth of work providing engineering services to the Keel Building in Liverpool, upgrading the mini district heating scheme within the development and the 240 individual apartments.
The success comes just six months after Avrenim announced a number of new project wins in the healthcare, commercial and green energy space across the UK worth in excess of £3.25m, helping to work towards its plans for future growth across the region over the next two years. Avrenim has also strengthened its senior leadership team. Adam Newberry has joined as general manager, and brings with him a wealth of experience in the process, manufacturing and tech space with a particular focus on AI, net zero and digital innovation.
Simon Harris, Avrenim CEO, said: “It has been a fantastic end to Q3 and a hugely promising start to Q4. We now go into the final few months of the year with real optimism for our continued growth plans.”
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Sarah Warburton
Consumer law firm, Simpson Millar, has been awarded a Legal Aid contract to offer support and advice to clients in the Liverpool area in relation to public and private family matters.
The firm’s expert care proceedings solicitors specialise in childcare proceedings, providing urgent advice and support in cases involving care proceedings, child arrangements orders and also protective injunctions. With offices in the Edward Pavilion at the historic Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool, the contract allows the team to support parents and other family members who are eligible for legal aid in a range of matters including pre-proceedings meetings, care proceedings, and child protection conference meetings.
As part of Simpson Millar’s national Family Law team, led by Patricia Cannon, the team was recently recognised by the Legal 500 UK 2023 Guide for its work dealing with complex public law childcare cases involving vulnerable clients. The prestigious directory went on to reference its ‘notable experience regarding adoption matters and special guardianship orders’ and is well known for its substantial experience working with public law matters.
Care proceedings solicitor, Sarah Warburton, said: “Care proceedings can be a challenging and emotional time for families, so it is absolutely imperative that they have access to a specialist solicitor that can help them to navigate the process with confidence and ensure that the best interests of the child are protected.”
Sarah, who shares her time between the firm’s Manchester and Liverpool offices, added: “Our expert lawyers have extensive experience in care proceedings matters nationally and we already work with a number of parents and other family members across the Liverpool area given our local presence and strong reputation in the region. However, securing the legal aid contract i means we are now able to support more families in need to access the advice that they require to achieve the best possible outcome for their child.”
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Jon Fletcher and assistance dog Georgia after their flight to Barcelona with Jet2.com
Jon Fletcher, a Greater Manchester-based accessible travel specialist, blogger and podcaster, has become one of a select group of ‘pioneer contributors’ to a new accessible website focusing on accessible travel for disabled people, where travel writers and experts share exciting content to inspire other disabled travels to explore the world and embark on their own adventures.
Journeyable is the brainchild of Fred Maas Jr, a travel specialist in Delaware and the site is described as a community of renowned social influencers, global charities, world leaders, celebrities, NGOs, and everyday heroes who have united to make a global impact and travel accessible to all.
Jon Fletcher said: “I was so excited when Fred and his team approached me with their idea. I came away from the meeting safe in the knowledge that Journeyable was going to raise the profile of accessible travel and inspire disabled people from around the world to explore the world around them. It mirrors what I am trying to achieve with Wheelie Good Travel Company and the Wheelie Good Travel Guide Podcast.”
Journeyable.org has a blend of articles, stories and films to inspire disabled travellers and show disability is no barrier to exploring the world.
The Wheelie Good Travel Company brand was launched following the COVID pandemic in response to calls by many disabled travellers for a new approach to selling and promoting accessible travel. Jon said “Wheelie Good Travel Company is not just about selling an accessible holiday to a disabled person, it is about inspiring them to travel without barriers put in their way, how they want to travel and with whom they want to travel.”
