TWO pasta masters have won a five-figure sum to invest in their business after impressing one of Britain’s brightest young businessmen.
Jeff Postlethwaite and Adam Thompson featured on BBC3’s Be Your Own Boss, where they competed for a share of a £1m pot of investment cash created for Richard Reed, co-founder of smoothies firm Innocent.
The duo landed a £50,000 handout after impressing Kirkheaton-born Richard with plans for a healthy fast food chain.
Jeff and Adam, who are about to embark on the third year of their degrees at Huddersfield University, will open their first Twist Pasta Bar in New Street, Huddersfield, in November.
The £50,000 will be used to help them plan their second and third shops. Adam said: “It was a fantastic experience and Richard was really helpful. He was able to offer advice on issues such as branding, product quality and or plans for the future. He also has a lot of business contacts, which is invaluable.”
Twist Pasta Bar, which is aimed primarily at Huddersfield’s student market, follows on from the duo’s Fasta Pasta Bar, which they initially set up last October as a student business with a stall at Queensgate Market selling hot and cold pasta pots.
It became an immediate hit, selling more than 1,000 pots in its first week of trading and was so successful that the pair hired workers and a manager to run the store.
Said Adam: “We are now looking at locations for stores two and three. We are looking at sites in Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool – cities with a similar target market.”
Richard Reed was educated at Batley Grammar School and received an honorary doctorate from Huddersfield University in 2010. He later delivered an inspirational lecture to a packed audience of Business School students.
Jeff, aged 20, from Cumbria, and Adam, 23, from Cambridge, were initially among 1,000 applicants to take part in Be Your Own Boss.
They were then one of 500 budding businesses shortlisted for the next phase of selection. They were given £100 and told to turn a profit, which they did by selling personalised tee-shirts.
They then went on a trip to London and attended a special exhibition at which they could pitch their business idea to Richard Reed, who personally selected 40 companies to take part in an interview at Salt’s Mill, Saltaire, near Bradford.
Jeff and Adam progressed to the final 18, meaning that Twist Pasta Bar had the opportunity of serious investment and were given key points that Richard felt they needed to work on.
In addition to familiar pasta sauces such as carbonara, they came up with fresh new recipes, such as coconut, lime and coriander sauce.
Adam is studying business management at the university and Jeff is completing his degree in enterprise development.
The duo have also received personal mentoring from the university vice-chancellor, Prof Bob Cryan. Said Adam: “He has been absolutely fantastic”.
