Advice and finance supports cereal producer through rapid growth

Background

Rollagranola launched in 2014 after owner Robin Longden spotted a gap in the market for a healthier cereal made with less sugar and higher quality organic ingredients. Initially making the product in his kitchen and selling on market stalls, he’s retained the company’s homemade feel but scaled up operations to produce a million boxes a year.

The Challenge  

Rollagranola is a family-run company and handles everything itself, from procurement and manufacturing through to shipping, marketing and business development. 

Robin and his team have always had a relentless focus on growth, product quality, service and profit generation, so approached Hertfordshire Growth Hub early on to see how we could help.  

The Solution

As well as carrying out a full free review of the business, Robin’s Growth Account Manager has provided a constant sounding board for Robin, helping him identify challenges and barriers to growth. Importantly, she also signposted him to a match-funding scheme, helping the company invest in new machinery.

A few years later, Hertfordshire Growth Hub identified another grant scheme which helped Rollagranola access external consultancy, specific to the food sector. This included an evaluation of the UK market and growth opportunities, as well as insight into different sales channels and how to approach and pitch to new customers.

Sustainability and becoming a net-zero carbon emissions company are important to Robin, so Robin’s Growth Account Manager alerted him to a council-run discounted solar panel scheme.

The Impact

The Growth Hub helped Rollagranola identify and overcome several business challenges, as well as secure funding that allowed them to realise their ambitious plans for growth.

Rollagranola has been able to secure over £100k, putting in new and better machinery that’s enabled them to match demand for their increasingly popular product, while reducing unit costs on labour.

The headcount has increased to 28 from the original two, and the company has been growing by 20-45% a year since 2018. It now produces around five tonnes of delicious granola a day and has a turnover of more than £3m.

Client quote

“As our growth continues the challenges remain the same, only bigger. The conversations we’ve had on what’s possible and how the Growth Hub can support us have been honest, direct and challenging in a good way. They’ve helped us make clear decisions and the significant financial support and subsequent investment has helped boost our turnover from £60k in 2015 to £2.8m by the end of 2024 and a run rate of £6m in the final 2 months.” Robin Longden, Owner, Rollagranola