Pete's START UP Journey
Pete, a Food and Human Nutrition student founded Thrifty Chef, a social enterprise designed to reduce food waste and teach essential cooking skills through simple tasty box meals.
Tell us about your journey with START UP
I attended the social enterprise sprint in 2023, which led to an application for funding to GoVolunteer and the START UP fund.
How did you find out about the grant funding?
The initial idea for Thrifty Chef started through mine and my business partner Ed's involvement in the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Challenge in 2022 with our peer mentor. After a successful initial pitch, we came 3rd overall and were invited to pitch to the university sustainability team who suggested applying for funding.
How did you feel about the application process and working with the team?
Transparently and clearly explained, with clear next steps outlined and a realistic approach to operations and scaling.
What did you / do you plan to do with the funding?
Advertising – Redefining our brand identity and making a banner and stamp with this new, improved logo front and center
Employing – Employing three students to continue our efforts while we undertook placement
Volunteers - They were also able to build a team of 5 new volunteers for the project, allowing us to hit the ground running next year.
New Products – Overnight oats and a grand total of £7.5K worth of food saved from waste and redistributed from nil living, not to mention allowing us to continue supporting Hector Hall at Grainger Market, taking more of their surplus than before.
How does the funding change your plans, could you have done the same without the funding?
It meant that we were able to have a continued presence at the university, take on more stock and improve our logo and packaging.
What would you tell other students who were thinking about applying for funding from the team?
If you have a great idea, go for it! You’ll receive help each step of the way.
Is there anything else you'd like to say about START UP?
Incredible, supportive team who transformed our time at University, giving us invaluable enterprise experience that still seems impossible