Husband and wife team Manav and Rimi Thapar started LoveRaw: a plant based chocolate brand with £600 and a food processor. Today, the confectionery is sold in 20 countries, and stockists include Asda, Coop and WH Smith. LoveRaw secured £2m of funding from investor Blue Horizon Ventures in 2020, after rejecting an offer in the BBC’s Dragons’ Den two years earlier. The family-run firm is based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, and products launched this year include vegan peanut butter cups in milk and white chocolate flavours.
How we blagged meetings with buyers to build our brand
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Charlie Bigham started cooking up his business at home. It all started on his kitchen table 25 years ago. Sitting at his kitchen table, he began to combine ingredients to create dishes that he hoped to sell to local food shops and delis. Today, he employs more than 500 people. We talk to Britain’s comfort-food king Charlie Bigham and extract nine lessons from his extraordinary entrepreneurial journey…
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You’re fired! But can I have a 50% stake in your business, please?
Despite being a naturally gifted entrepreneur, Susie turned her back on her business in 2011 to pursue her ‘dream job’ but didn’t quite live up to her expectations. We caught up with Susie to find out how she used her appearance on The Apprentice as a catalyst to become one of the UK’s most successful young female entrepreneurs