Chester businessman launches Brazilian food brand with £20k startup loan

Cheshire entrepreneur Volnei Borgert has secured a five-figure startup loan to launch Brasil Brazil, a new Brazilian home food brand.

The £20k funding from Business Finance Solutions will allow Volnei to target restaurants, distributors, wholesalers and cooking enthusiasts with his collection of sauces, rubs, salts and frozen street food.

Volnei, who helped churrasco-style restaurant Bem Brasil expand outside of London eight years ago and has worked in the food industry for 20 years, has invested the BFS cash into the manufacturing process by acquiring the equipment needed to ramp up production.

He commented: “Food and hospitality has been my career and my life for years and I’ve long harboured a dream of bringing a traditional taste of Brazil to the UK.

“Securing the loan from BFS has meant that I have been able to invest the proper time and care into developing our products and making that dream a reality.”

Volnei added: “The timing is also perfect – not only is Brazil very much on people’s radar but the condiments industry has experienced a rapid growth in the past 10 years as restaurants and home cooks alike are increasingly keen to experiment and achieve authentic flavours.”

To bring his business idea to fruition, Volnei also worked with the University of Chester’s North West Food Research Development Centre, where a team helped him develop the Brasil Brazil range and create new recipes.

John Cannon, a business advisor and mentor with BFS, commented: “Brazil and all things Brazilian have definitely captured the hearts of the nation, from this year’s Olympic Games to the rise in popularity and number of Brazilian restaurants.

“With his understanding of both the restaurant and retail sectors Volnei is ideally placed to marry his expertise with a demand for high quality, authentic ingredients.”

John continued: “We’ve worked closely with Volnei to establish what his goals and ambitions for the business are and to provide the finance and support to help him achieve them and to plan for even bigger and better things in the future.”

Business Finance Solutions, a lending partner of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, is the delivery partner in the North West for the government’s £310m Start Up Loans programme.