Search Start Up Loans
Popular Search placeholder

Start Up Loans programme gives £100m backing to Yorkshire entrepreneurs

Press release 26 November 2024

  • The Start Up Loans programme has delivered £100m worth of loans to businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber

  • More than 10,000 loans have been secured by businesses in the region

  • Entrepreneurs in Sheffield benefitted from over £10m of the funding

The Start Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, today announces that it has provided more than 10,000 loans worth just over £100m to businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber, highlighting its commitment to providing funding to small business owners outside of London.

Focused on ensuring that traditionally underrepresented groups are able to access finance to grow their business, over £12m of the funding went to business owners from Black, Asian and Other Ethnic Minority backgrounds (not including White Minorities). Additionally, as part of the Bank’s remit to support entrepreneurs of all ages to access finance, 1,331 loans went to young people between 18-24 years old, amounting to almost £10m.

Of the funding, more than £10m went to businesses based in Sheffield, a typically underfunded region within Yorkshire. The Steel City took home more than 10% of the overall funding, with 18% of funding in the city going to entrepreneurs from Black, Asian and other Ethnic Minority backgrounds (not including White Minorities), and 35% going to female-founded businesses.

Start Up Loan recipients in Yorkshire and the Humber include Woof the Yorkshire Dog Shop, premier craft mead brewery, Paradise Garage Brewing, a wellness fragrance brand, The CAHM Collective, Frazer’s Coffee Roasters and more.

The Start Up Loans programme provides personal loans for business purposes and offers free dedicated mentoring and support to loan recipients for 12 months. The primary aim of the Start Up Loans programme is to ensure that viable start-ups and early-stage businesses have access to the finance and support they need in order to thrive.

Cat Smith, Senior Network Manager for Yorkshire and the Humber at the British Business Bank said:

As a Sheffield-headquartered organisation we are proud to support and encourage businesses within the city and also the wider Yorkshire and the Humber region. It’s amazing to see businesses in our region doing so well with the backing of British Business Bank funding.

This latest milestone is testament to the quality of talent in Yorkshire and the ability of truly ambitious entrepreneurs to turn their passions into a viable business. As many businesses continue to face a more challenging macro environment, we remain committed to providing dedicated support to businesses in historically underserved areas. We look forward to seeing what brilliant businesses continue reaching out for our support.

Frazer’s Coffee Roasters, Sheffield-based Start Up Loan recipient

Frazer’s Coffee Roasters, based in Sheffield, secured a £20,000 Start Up Loan via Business Support Partner Virgin StartUp.

Founder, Frazer Habershon, was originally training to be a plumber before becoming a gas engineer. As he was finishing his qualifications, he had a severe car accident where he was knocked off his push bike. He suffered damage to his brain and long-term health, as well as suffering from neurological complications.

As he couldn’t go back to a full-time job, Frazer ended up in the hospitality industry and worked his way up. Coffee was never on the menu for Frazer – he loved drinking it at home, but never saw it as a career path. However, he noticed there was nothing locally that offered coffee that was ethically sourced throughout its supply chain, which is something he cares deeply about.

Frazer decided he wanted to fill this gap in the market. He investigated buying his own equipment, including a roaster, which would have cost around £30k-£40k, so he decided to use his pre-existing skills and make his own out of an old BBQ.

After roasting coffee for a couple of years, his two little girls wanted him to open a coffee shop like in the film “The Princess and the Frog”. He has since opened a shop on Arundel Street in the heart of Sheffield, where customers can visit the 50-seater coffee shop and watch their coffee being roasted in front of their very eyes.

Since opening his shop, the business has gone from strength to strength. Frazer has acquired a second roaster, which has allowed him to grow the business further and supply more venues and high street retailers, alongside SMEs.

Frazer Habershon, Founder of Frazer’s Coffee Roasters, said:

After suffering a life changing accident, I ended up kind of falling into the world of coffee and roasting. It was never something I saw myself doing, but now I’m embedded in this life, I wouldn’t change it for the world. With the support of the Start Up Loan, programme and Virgin Startup, the business has been able to scale, moving premises multiple times to meet ever increasing demand. We continue to see interest in our coffee, which is ethically sourced from around the world, and our list of businesses we supply to seems to keep growing! I couldn’t have done it without the Start Up Loan.

Stephen Waud, Business Enterprise Fund CEO added:

Reaching the £100 million funding milestone in the Yorkshire and Humber region is a significant testament to the exceptional success of the Start Up Loans programme, which we have been a part of since its days as a pilot programme.

This achievement showcases what can be accomplished when individuals with ideas and aspirations are provided with the necessary finance and support. BEF is proud to be part of this journey, partnering with the Start Up Loans programme to empower entrepreneurs. Together, we're not just funding businesses, we're fostering innovation, creating opportunities, and strengthening communities, contributing to a more vibrant economic future for the region. We are excited about the continued success of the programme and the part we play in that.

As an official Business Support Partner for the Start Up Loan programme, Business Enterprise Fund operates within a network of Business Support Partners, delivering Start Up Loans in the range of £500 to £25,000 across the UK.

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact [email protected].

Latest news