New Italian eatery already planning its expansion
ONE of the latest independent eateries to open in Liverpool’s burgeoning Castle Street area is already planning its expansion – with outside catering and more venues in the pipeline.
Pasta Cosa, which began trading earlier this year, offers freshly made Italian food to take away including a selection of pastas, salads, paninis, sides, pastries, deserts and drinks.
The company has created seven jobs with a further three staff expected to join next year.
Sisters Talia and Kayleigh Baccino set up the company with around £100,000 investment, including loans from MSIF through the Start Up Loans Fund and the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). The finance was used towards equipment, branding and architect’s costs.
Director Talia Baccino said: “My sister and I previously ran a business together. We got some additional investment and with that came new shareholders. The company was a success but we decided we wanted to run something on our own again.
“We’re of Italian heritage and are keen foodies so we came up with the idea of an Italian take away. When we researched it, we couldn’t find anything similar and thought that it would be a great addition to the thriving restaurant industry here in Liverpool.
“Quality is very important. We employ three Italian chefs who make the sauces freshly. We source vegetables and meat locally but import a lot of ingredients from Italy because it’s a higher standard than anything we have been able to find at home.”
Baccino said the company will launch an outside catering offering in January, providing catering for events and corporate lunches.
“Once we’ve refined the operational elements at this branch our intention is to open in other areas. We’re looking at other venues in Liverpool and then we would like to move into Manchester. Beyond that, we want to consider franchising,” she added.
MSIF investment manager Sue Chambers said: “Talia and Kayleigh did a huge amount of research and put together a very impressive business plan. They spent a lot of time on getting their branding right with a view to branching out in the future. We’re delighted to be supporting them and really pleased that they are doing so well.”
The RGF is provided through Responsible Finance. It provides loans to micro, small, medium and social enterprises across England through the community finance sector.
The government-funded Start Up Loans Programme provides loans to assist with start-up costs as well as free mentoring support, and exclusive business offers from partners such as Regus, Paypal, eBay and Intuit.
