Matt Legon Managing Director, Gnaw Chocolate
£8,590 Growing Business Fund grant for machinery and a further £25,330 for machinery and equipment to boost production.
Beating 750 competitors to win the British Chamber’s best small business of the year in 2018, was sweet success for the chocolate brand, Gnaw. New Anglia Growth Hub has helped drive this success through advising on applications for two grants to purchase new machinery and equipment.
Matt and Teri Legon started out selling other people’s chocolate in a sweet shop in central Norwich. Realising the chocolate was a bit dull they decided to make their own, creating Gnaw, the fabulously good chocolate brand, made with a touch of fun.
With the brand distributing its products across three continents, Matt decided to create new granola bars – a healthier chocolate bar option. To meet a surge in demand, Matt realised they needed to invest in new wrapping machines. With a target to grow the company from a 2017 turnover of £1.3m, to an accelerated turnover of £3.5m the following year, he got in touch with the Growth Hub for advice.
Growth Hub Business Adviser David Sparkes identified grant funding which would help fast-track production and worked closely with Matt in the preparation of the bid. The bid went straight through to approval of £25,330, from the grant panel.
“The Growth Hub’s support has certainly enabled us to proceed quickly with our plans,” said Matt. “I have been able to scale-up my production line at speed and it has helped us to act nimbly and take advantage of this great opportunity.”
Get in touch to find out how the New Anglia Growth Hub could help you. Call 0300 333 6536 or email growthhub@newanglia.co.uk
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