AN AWARD-winning Coventry and Warwickshire business has urged fellow firms to tap into the support available as it targets £4million in turnover.
Purple Planet Packaging supplies sustainable food and drinks packaging to a range of sectors including schools, the hospitality trade, and directly to consumers.
The company, based at the Seven Stars Industrial Estate in Coventry, works with manufacturers and suppliers to ‘close the loop’ as the vast majority of the 450 products it supplies are biodegradable material that can be composted.
The firm was bought by husband-and-wife team Mark and Joanna Farr in 2019 as a lifestyle business but the Covid lockdowns – and the sudden demand for takeaway packaging – saw an immediate and unexpected boom.
The couple, who have two young children, had to quickly adapt despite having no prior knowledge of how to run a business.
They looked into what support was available within the region and are now working with Steve Tipson from the Business Ready programme as they look to reach £4million turnover by 2024.
Business Ready delivers support to expanding companies managed by the business support team at the Universit of Warwick Science Park.
The scheme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council as part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale Programme.
Mark said: “The support we’ve had from Business Ready has been absolutely priceless.
“We had not long bought the business when we went into the pandemic and when demand increased we just had to roll with it.”
He added the firm did everything it could to fulfill orders and keep customers happy, working long hours with two children in the house.
“We’ve had great support from lots of organisations – it really is out there if businesses are willing to look for it and ask for help.
“Working with Business Ready is helping to put things in place such as policies and procedures that we just didn’t have the awareness of before.”
