Investment to help pizza kit company take a bigger slice of the market

Pizza business Birtelli’s has secured £500,000 funding for its home baked pizza kit service.

Driven by lockdown and due to a general growing demand for home dining, Birtelli’s started its pizza kit venture in spring 2020.

Ordered online and delivered fresh via an overnight service, customers choose from a range of kits, incorporating multiple dough types and an extensive toppings menu.

Following a national expansion, Birtelli’s has seen a significant growth in its sales over the last 12 months.

The investment from Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) West Midlands Equity Fund, managed by Midven, part of the Future Planet Capital Group, will allow Birtelli’s to double the size of its production facility, upgrade its eCommerce platform and streamline production in order to take advantage of this growing market.

Jim and Jag Biryah, owners of Birtelli’s are joined in the venture by Michelin-starred chef and owner of Salt restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon, Paul Foster, a previous guest on BBC’s The Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen.

Birtelli’s plans to drive growth across the whole of the UK from one single distribution centre in Leamington Spa.

With the investment, Birtelli’s is expected to add eight additional full-time staff to their current team of five over the next 12 months.

Roger Wood, director at Midven, said: “Birtelli’s combines an established, stable, and profitable revenue stream in a traditional yet growing market segment, with a growing revenue stream in the exciting and trending market segment of home meal kits. Whilst still in the early stage of establishing its brand and presence in this growing segment, the Company has achieved encouraging levels of revenue, despite very limited marketing. It is developing a range of interesting channels to market. Through its focus on quality, provenance, and environmentally friendly packaging the Company is well placed to benefit from a range of developing consumer trends. Investment in systems, production automation and marketing should make the Company well placed to scale over the coming years into a profitable business in an increasingly vibrant sector.”

Jim Biryah said: “The last 18 months have been a rollercoaster journey with much work, perseverance and optimism. It commenced back in late 2019, where Jag and I discussed the potential for translating the USP’s of our brand into the fast-growing segment for home meal kits. The subsequent pandemic brought forward our intended plans, leading to a soft launch and full nationwide launch within the space of just four months. It’s already proven to be the right decision in an exciting channel, with much interest and equally impressive feedback from our growing base of customers and brand partners. The investment and know-how from Midven, coupled with our private investors, provides us with the platform to further build a team and the operational, sales and marketing capabilities needed to create market for a home baked pizza experience which affords exponential growth and an omni-channel presence.”

 

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