A SANQUHAR entrepreneur is upgrading his family business thanks to a £20 000 funding boost.
Knockenhair Hospitality is run by 20-year-old Harry Gallacher, with support from his siblings and cousins, and supplies top-quality food and drink for events of all kinds, from weddings and corporate dinners to gala days and pop-ups, including the annual Wigtown Book Festival.
The Sanquhar based firm received the funding to support the expansion of its business’s headquarters at the family farm after receiving funds from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme and will go towards an upgrade to prep kitchen facilities and the purchase of industrial-scale equipment.
The Gallacher family are no strangers to the catering scene, with Harry’s grandmother, Nancy, having operated a similar firm for over 30 years before retiring in 2015. Following in her footsteps, Harry studied professional cooking and hospitality management at Dumfries and Galloway College and started his own cake-making venture before deciding to bring the family business back to life at the age of just 18.
Harry said: “While I was much too young to help out, I have fond memories of spending my weekends and school holidays pottering about in my gran’s commercial kitchen and getting a taste of how the business worked – as well as trialling the recipes. Going to college to study hospitality was the obvious choice for me after finishing school and, following stints working in a couple of local bars and pubs, I felt that the time was right to give the catering business a go.
Nancy, now 79 years old, still helps out behind the scenes and gives her grandchildren valuable advice as well as taste-testing the firm’s famous strawberry tarts, of which over 6,000 were produced last year, Harry continued: “The prep kitchen that my gran had used was still in decent condition, but now that I’m a couple of years into running the business, it feels like a good time to upgrade some of the equipment and increase the size of the space. It is still very much a family venture, and it is great to be able to get my gran’s advice and also pick up again with some of the regular customers that she catered for years before.
“This summer we expect to be busier than ever with weddings and corporate events, covering everywhere from Glasgow to Carlisle.”
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Small Businesses, also commented: “Supporting family run businesses like Knockenhair Hospitality to access the finance they need to scale up and succeed is a key part of our Plan for Change. This is an important milestone for the Start Up Loans programme in Scotland, helping to back our nation’s brilliant entrepreneurs and boost the economy right across the UK.”
