In 2001 BD Foods in Hastings were a small start-up, but thanks to a new county council-backed funding scheme, they hope to be able to double their turnover.
After finding out about the business growth fund from East Sussex County Council via Locate East Sussex, Managing Director of BD Foods John Davis, says: “It was an easy application process and we were lucky enough to get all we asked for. We were asked to create 40 jobs with the funding and we’ve already created 75 per cent of that already.”
BD Foods was launched by John Davis and Clive Barker and the company now employs over 100 staff. The company produces meal accompaniments for the food and travel industries, such as dressings, stocks and sauces and soups.
“The funding enabled us to expand, as we’ve managed to buy some new kit and are currently waiting for planning permission for an extension to our premises. Hopefully we’ll be in our new premises by June 2016. We currently have a £10 million turnover and we will be able to double that.
“I would like to thank East Sussex County Council and Locate East Sussex, as they’ve been a pleasure to deal with and they are a very professional bunch of people who want to help businesses succeed in the county,” John added.
Where can I get funding for my business from?
East Sussex Invest 4 Business Growth Funding is the latest phase of a programme which has already paid out around £4.5 million in grants and loans, helping 140 businesses and creating almost 600 jobs over the past three years.
The money can be used for one-off capital projects such as upgrading or extending premises, buying new equipment or machinery or developing software.
A £1.3 million annual fund will be available to micro, small and medium-sized businesses and new ventures starting up.
Application forms can be obtained from Locate East Sussex by calling 0844 4159255 or e-mailing enquiries@locateeastsussex.org.uk
