Picture this. You run a family-owned butchers providing quality produce for nearby hotels, shops and caterers. Suddenly, holidays are out of the door, shop shutters are firmly down, and events are off the table – meaning your business opportunities dry up practically overnight. And to top it off, you also have to tell the farmers who supply your produce that their hard-won eggs, meat, dairy and veg have nowhere to go.
Along with countless other small-to-medium businesses in the UK, that’s the story of what happened to family-owned butchers, Farm2Table, when the pandemic turned into much more than a news story from the other side of the world. With all their usual avenues blocked off, the father-and-son team had to reassess how they did business and find new ways to make it work for the Covid-19 era.
After speaking to their Local Business Manager, Daniel Collins, from our Chelmsford store, they decided applying for a Bounce Back Loan through their Business Bank Account would be the best option to get their business back up and running. With Daniel’s help and guidance, they navigated the loan process and successfully got their hands on fresh funding. And boy, have they put it to good use.
Since March 2020, Farm2Table have launched a brand new website and boosted their social media – look them up on Facebook and Instagram: @farm2tablebutchers. They’ve also updated their key equipment and added their name to the deed of their very own farm shop - which means they can now offer click-and-collect services, too. They began home deliveries of weekly fruit, veg and meat selection boxes you can tailor to your liking, and even started running hands-on butchery lessons and experiences – how’s that for a comeback?!
Tony, the owner of Farm2Table, said “We were able to pivot our business to this new model, and have been overwhelmed by the local support, which has not only seen this business grow, but also saved the livelihoods of many local farmers.”
We can’t wait to see what comes next for Farm2Table, and we’re so proud that our people-people banking helped them not only bounce back, but go further than ever before.