Snacks business hungry for growth with move to new premises

A young entrepreneur from the Black Country, who set up his business aged 17, has moved into new commercial premises to support the growth of the business.

George Greenhill, founder of Protein Package, established the healthy snack brand business in 2017 at his parents’ home in Wolverhampton while he was at sixth form college in Stourbridge.

The business provides a ‘pick and mix’ style approach to ordering a variety of healthy snacks online which are sourced from all over the world.

At the same time as completing his business degree at Aston University, Greenhill steadily grew the business, which took off in 2020 owing to an increase in online consumer habits during the pandemic.

The business has now taken a six-year lease at Stanmore Business Park in Bridgnorth.

Greenhill said: “When I was 17, the football team I played for disbanded so I turned my attention to the gym and keeping active. I started to invest in protein bars to support my training but found that a lot of them were really expensive – sometimes the cost of a whole meal deal or the alternative was to purchase a month’s supply which meant I was left eating the same flavour for ages.

“I saw an opportunity to set up an online business where customers could select from a variety of products from different brands and decide on their own quantities. I approached Barclays as I knew nothing about setting up a business account, and their local Business Manager was really helpful in getting me started.

“The business really took off in 2020 as more people were turning to online ordering during the pandemic. This coincided with my final year at uni which was a bit challenging at times but I was lucky enough to secure a First Class degree.”

Thomas Perry, business manager at Barclays in Wolverhampton said: “George identified a gap in the market. You have to admire his drive and I wish him every success for the future.”

Four years on the business is projected to turn over £1m this financial year and Greenhill has recently taken on his first Kickstarter apprentice backed by the government to support young people after the pandemic.

He hopes to continue to grow the business by introducing more product ranges, offering even better value by purchasing in greater quantities himself and by looking at further exclusive brand collaborations.