Member Article

Pudding and cocktail party entrepreneur scoops funding to follow dream

A business that combines cocktails and cakes as part of a party food concept is set to take flight after receiving start-up funding.

Lucy Anderson’s Tipsy Pud business provides a range of “drunken desserts” aimed at weddings, birthday and hen parties, bars, restaurants and corporate events.

Lucy, whose background is in business development for the professional industries, said: “Although I enjoyed my work, I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do as a long-term career choice. I wanted that to be something I love – and I love cocktails and cakes and wondered if I could combine the two.

“You get a lot of sweet cocktails so I wondered if I could spin it on its head and make an alcoholic cocktail cake.”

Ouseburn-based Tipsy Pud is the only cocktail-cake maker in the UK, bringing a fresh twist on the two indulgent treats. Lucy spent last summer testing her recipes on family and friends – most of whom she says are now on a diet as a result – and has finalised a range of five Tipsy Puds including Berry Mud Pie, Mojito Cheescake and Whisky Sour. She’s also planning to introduce seasonal and bespoke recipes later this year, all handmade locally.

Tipsy Pud made its debut at February’s Boilershop Steam event, a mini monthly food, drink, arts and music festival.

From now on, customers will be able to taste the Tipsy Pud range via the company’s mobile Indulgence Bar, which will serve the products at events across the North East.

Lucy turned to Newcastle-based Entrust for start-up support and has secured loans totalling £5,500 to cover the cost of equipment, product development and marketing.

She said: “I was advised to get in touch with Entrust after I went to the JobCentre to discuss my idea with a business consultant. The JobCentre said if it’s a good idea, Entrust will help you out.

“The process was a lot simpler than I thought - everyone was very friendly and helpful and it was a reasonably short timeframe from application to receipt of the money.”

Tipsy Pud received £4,000 from the Start Up Loan Fund and £1,500 from the Finance for Business North East Microloan Fund, which Entrust administers.

Ashley Cutter, advisor at Entrust said: “Tipsy Pud is a fantastic idea and Lucy had thoroughly researched her market before applying to us. She has already made contact with a number of potential corporate customers in the North East and has secured her first summer wedding booking.

“New and small businesses are still finding it hard to secure finance from the high street banks, and this is where Entrust can help. If you have a good idea for a new enterprise or need money to grow your business, please get in touch to see if we can provide the support you need.”

The Government-backed Start Up Loan Fund provides both financial help and mentoring support, with loans starting from £250 for young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 30.

The Microloan Fund is able to provide loans from £1,000 to £25,000 to help launch or support established SMEs as they grow.

The fund has £2 million to allocate this year and is able to help many viable businesses that are still finding it difficult to secure finance from the banks.

To learn more about Entrust, visit www.entrust.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .