A Bristol-based independent café and hospitality business has received a six figure-funding boost to accelerate growth.
Double Puc said the cash injection from the British Business Bank's South West Investment Fund would assist with the expansion of the firm's outside catering business and help secure new contracts.
Double Puc was established in 2021 by Ed Brown and Griff Holland, founders of former Bristol café chain Friska. The business now operates one standalone venture at The Eye in Bristol as well as four in-house café partnerships inside We The Curious, Wake the Tiger, OVO Energy and the Crescent in Bristol’s Temple Quarter.
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The outside catering division of Double Puc works with a variety of blue chip customers across the city.
Mr Brown said: “Griff and I are well versed in the hospitality business and founded Double Puc with the same ethos as Friska - to deliver sustainable hospitality to consumers and businesses across Bristol.
"We’ve had lots going on recently with the launch of our fifth café at The Crescent. The outside catering side is also going from strength to strength and we were seeking working capital to support expansion and meet the demands of new business wins.
"We’re grateful for the backing from FW Capital and the South West Investment Fund. Ben Donati has worked closely with us and been very pragmatic in his approach, taking the time to understand our business and offer competitive terms that work for small businesses like ours.”
Ben Donati, investment executive at FW Capital, who led the deal, said: “Double Puc operates a very successful café business across some high profile sites.
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"They have also built up a great reputation for its outside catering side of the business, which is where our funding is making a difference for them. The finance we have provided is giving them the confidence to meet the growing demand for outside catering from SME and corporate customers across the Bristol area.”
Lizzy Upton, senior investment manager at the British Business Bank, added: “The South West Investment Fund is here to support growing, ambitious businesses across the region so they can access the finance they need to scale and thrive. Double Puc is a great example of that, where you have two passionate entrepreneurs committed to success and growing their businesses sustainably. We wish Ed and Griff all the best as they embark on their next stage of growth.”
The South West Investment Fund provides loans from £25,000 to £2m, and equity investment up to £5m to help small and medium sized businesses to start up or scale up.
Fund manager FW Capital provides debt finance using the South West Investment Fund to businesses in Bristol, Gloucestershire, North and North East Somerset and Wiltshire.