Tag: CBIL

Craigie’s Farm develops ‘udderly brilliant’ new adventure park!

A family-run Scottish farm village is set to open a new adventure farm park and café in June, thanks to a £500,000 funding package from Bank of Scotland.

Craigie’s Farm in Queensferry is home to a deli café, shop and farm park, and is run by John Sinclair and his family, who took over the operation from his parents in 1995.

The new Little Farmers adventure farm park will house a timber play park for children and a new café seating 150 people.

The 1200m² development doubles the current size of the park, and now features a newly revamped animal shed with six pens of animals for visitors to meet.

To support the development, the business approached Bank of Scotland and received a £500,000 funding package and a £65,000 Clean Growth Funding Initiative (CGFI) loan to acquire a 120kW ground source heat pump and a 50kW solar installation which will help reduce the business’ carbon footprint.

The Clean Growth Funding Initiative offers discounted lending for green purposes to help businesses reduce their environmental impact.

The new attraction is now set to open on 8th June and the business will be looking to hire 10 new members of staff after all current staff have been brought back from furlough.

John Sinclair, founder of Craigie’s Farm, said: “Craigie’s Farm normally welcomes more than a quarter of a million visitors a year with people travelling from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife to visit our café and farm shop.

“The pandemic has been challenging for the business, but it also gave us an opportunity to develop Little Farmers. Thanks to the support from Bank of Scotland we’ve been able to complete the new development that will provide more activities for visitors and boost employment in the local area.

“As restrictions continue to ease, we are looking forward to getting back to some form of normality and hope the opening of Little Farmers will give us a real boost this summer.”

Julie McLaren, relationship manager at Bank of Scotland, said: “Craigie’s Farm is a long-standing customer of Bank of Scotland and we were more than happy to support the business’ Little Farmers expansion with a development funding package and CGFI loan to set the project in motion.

”When the pandemic forced the construction of the new development to grind to a halt, we also assisted the business with a six-figure Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBIL) to enable it to manage the disruption and quickly re-start the project once restrictions allowed.

“At Bank of Scotland, we will continue to stand by businesses through these unpredictable times and support them every step of the way to achieve their growth goals and sustainable ambitions.”

Home delivery on the menu for fruit and veg wholesaler

A family run fruit and vegetable wholesaler has launched a delivery service offering an expanded range of products to homes across Scotland’s Central Belt, with support from Bank of Scotland. 

The majority of Charles Stamper Fruit & Veg’s customers, which include bars, restaurants, hotels and schools, closed their doors when the government mandated lockdown came into force on the 23rd of March, creating significant pressure on its cash flow.

In response, the Edinburgh business immediately decided to diversify into home delivery using its fleet of refrigerated vans. It set up a dedicated website to take orders and added household essentials to its product range, including tinned goods, condiments and kitchen roll.

The shift to home delivery was supported by long time banking partner, Bank of Scotland. It provided a six-figure loan through the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), helping the wholesaler pay new suppliers and cover costs while its catering customers are unable to pay for orders completed before Scotland entered lockdown.

Charles Stamper Fruit & Veg has provided Scotland’s hospitality, education and care sectors with fresh produce since 1992. Bar some specialty items that are imported from suppliers in Europe, all its products are sourced locally and delivered loose to minimise the use of plastics. 

Louise Stamper, managing director, Charles Stamper Fruit & Veg, said: “We were watching television as a family when the stay at home order was announced and decided almost immediately to launch a home delivery service.

“Such a radical change seemed daunting at first. But, thanks to a massive team effort, we’ve now completed thousands of home orders. We’ve been blown away by the demand and motivated by all the positive feedback we’ve received on social media.

“Crucially, our new retail customers pay for goods ahead of delivery. It’s a departure from the traditional business model of a wholesaler that gives us steady income until our catering clients reopen. The support from Bank of Scotland has been invaluable as we’ve made that change.” 

Daniel Burns, relationship manager at Bank of Scotland, added: “Charles Stamper Fruit & Veg is a prime example of a well-established, family run business that has quickly adapted its services during unprecedented times.

“The business’ focus on quality put it in a good position as home delivery became a preferred option for Scottish consumers keen to support local firms impacted by Covid-19.

“The loan we’ve provided will help Louise and the team take advantage of this demand and keep the business going until its catering customers are able to open their doors again.”