17th May 2023
Have you seen the rewards on the latest Rollagranola campaign?
Robin Longden, Founder and Director of Rollagranola has raised £114k in under a week. Rollagranola sells handmade Gourmet Granola, the company is run by father-and-son duo.
“The business is about people; listening, engaging and providing to what people want…. good food for people who want good food," Longden.
As his compnay has people at its heart, he liked the idea of working with Crowd2Fund as we present an interesting opportunity to raise with a community of lenders who he can communicate with directly.
We wanted to find out more about his journey, so let’s go...
What was your journey before starting your business?
I left Cardiff to go to Uni in Hull and started my first job at United Biscuits at the KP crisp factory in Teesside for over 7 busy years. Thereafter, I worked for ABF, & Geest before working for a few years in consultancy. Then a 7-year stint with Cadbury Schweppes followed by 10 years consultancy in change management- Food, Airports (BAA & then Gatwick) Civil Engineering, Security in ports borders and airports then a few years working with PE companies helping to integrate acquisitions- I guess always changing things one way or another so aiming to put this experience to good use.
What was your original vision when starting Rollagranola?
Great food is always great, and we had some great granola in the USA. Making my own product because there was nothing like the US product in the UK, I found out how important nuts were and felt there was an opportunity to produce a slow burn healthy product. The idea was good healthy food that is enjoyable and that also gives the benefits of nuts (cardiovascular benefits, potential cancer impact, diabetes, weight loss etc) What we found was people see my product as healthy but eat it because they like the taste.
In one sentence what is your business?
Dedicated to helping people have better lives through better food.
What is something about your business that you're proud of?
We are the largest producer of granola to the zero-waste sector in the UK.
What differentiates you from your competitors?
It’s about people, our market research was selling direct to people on markets and refining our products based on what people said, this continues to this day- we listen, engage, respond and do our best to provide what people want, nothing preachy, just about good food for people who want good food.
What excites you most about being an entrepreneur?
We still think we are changing people’s lives. Sometimes this turns out to be customers contacting us, sometimes seeing orders from people who have been buying for over 8 years, sometimes when our staff develop skills and confidence that they have not shown before.
What’s your mission and company values at Rollagranola and does your company have a social impact?
We sum this up as:
Committed to delivering enjoyable and healthy food for people who want food that sustains. We use natural ingredients to create high quality products consistently delighting all stakeholders.
We are passionate about contributing to a better planet & improving people's wellbeing. Proper food that does good.
Our experience is that the people who eat our product regularly have happier and healthier lives, we think this is worth fighting for every day, so we do.
What drove you to work with Crowd2Fund?
If we are all about people what better way to get the funding we need to grow, than by communicating with people.
What will funds raised during this round be used for?
We are growing our team and our need for stock- this requires cash. In terms of the team, we will need to get some help on recruitment and then train people, which hits efficiency in the factory and takes time for people to become effective. In addition, we will need raw materials and finished good stocks so we can buffer the peaks and troughs in sales demand while we cope for an expected +20% increase in month-on-month sales.
What are your goals for the future of the company?
Export product to all parts of the World where the demand exists, we think this is most places- in sequence, Middle East, EU, Far East, Australia & NZ, North America, South & Central America over the next 5-8 years
Move to a new factory in 2024/25
Source direct from the country of origin for raw materials
Continue to develop and evolve our range to meet the evolving demand from consumers and align with the lifestyles of those people.
Don’t miss out, invest now.
Capital at Risk. Tax Treatment may vary.
Past performance and forecasts are not reliable indicators of future results. Your capital invested is not covered for compensation in the event of a loss by the FSCS. Tax treatment will depend on the individual circumstances and may be subject to change. Please see our Risk section before making an investment decision.
