Troubled family business saved by support service

A Warwickshire natural food business has spoken of the crucial support it received from a government-backed business service, after one of its directors was diagnosed with cancer.

Husband and wife owners of Naturally Good Food, Sue and Cathal McGrath told around 100 delegates at a GrowthAccelerator event held at the National Space Centre, how GrowthAccelerator saved their business from potential ruin.

The couple had been happily running a natural food shop in Leicestershire when Cathal fell ill in 2011. With the survival of their business doubtful as a result, the family contacted Pera Consulting about the support service GrowthAccelerator.

Input from GrowthAccelerator helped transform the family run business into an online only trader, focusing on existing skills already held by staff and family members. Naturally Good Food has since seen its productivity increase by over 30 per cent and its turnover almost double to £1million.

Pera Consulting, a leading private sector business growth expert, helps to deliver the government-backed GrowthAccelerator service, which offers support for the UK’s most ambitious businesses, helping them to identify their barriers and guiding them through critical stages to reach the next level of growth.

Naturally Good Food started 20 years ago as a wholefood buying group in the McGrath family home. The couple had decided to provide local parents with the same naturally sourced foods they wanted to feed to their own family. As the group proved successful, Sue and Cathal set up a local shop in 1998 before adding a small mail order service in 2004.

Cathal explains: “When I was diagnosed with a brain tumour, I was hospitalised for six months. On my return to work, we realised that things couldn’t carry on as they had before and the business was in real trouble. The support we received enabled us plan for the future after such a difficult time. It’s hard to know where our business would be without it.”

Speaking of the support, Sue says: “We were like a pot-bound plant before GrowthAccelerator helped us to play to our strengths and spread our roots. Thanks to the plan, we have the security to take more risks and can anticipate real growth in the future.”

Now in remission, Cathal and Naturally Good Food are on a path to success with the company taking advantage of a growing overseas market.

For more information on Naturally Good Food, visit naturallygoodfood.co.uk.