Customer success story: Baker & Son Catering

Alex Grant and his mother Iris Posa, co-owners of Baker & Son Catering – and the power behind motorbike cafe Grind On – developed a devoted following that presented an exciting opportunity for growth. But with that opportunity comes additional cost, and the team needed extra capital to keep up with the rapid pace of success.

After navigating tangled red tape from traditional lenders, Alex and Iris found a Prospa Small Business Loan to deliver what they needed to keep them firing on all cylinders.

Revved up for success

Alex is a coffee maestro and a veteran of the Auckland cafe scene. His mum, Iris, is a kitchen wizard, whipping up dishes that have become local favourites around Takapuna, a coastal suburb on Auckland’s North Shore.

“My mum is known on the street for her cooking, and I’m known for my coffee,” Alex says. “It’s old-school cooking done well.”

Alex already owned the Grind On café, and in 2016, the pair decided to combine their powers and start their own catering company, too. Baker & Son was born.

The company supplies Alex’s Grind On cafe with amazing food, but they also serve up treats for government groups, schools and other organisations. The cafe is run out of The Garage, a motorbike shop that attracts riders and fans from around the area.

A rapid rise

With Grind On as a sturdy foundation, it didn’t take Alex and Iris long to get up to speed running their catering business. The two are well-known within the community.

So it might come as little surprise that, within its first three years, Baker & Son Catering experienced substantial growth.

But with growth and opportunity come costs that can sneak up on a small business owner. To keep up with demand, Alex and Iris needed to make key upgrades to their infrastructure that would allow them to keep doing what they do best.

“My mother wanted to invest in more equipment for the commercial kitchen,” Alex says.

They looked for crucial funding in the form of a small business loan that could help them improve the business. But finding help proved more difficult than expected.

Shifting into gear

Baker & Son had succeeded in building a loyal base of customers. But finding a small business loan that would help them grow was not. At least not at first.

“We were having a few issues finding a bank that would look after us,” Alex says. “When we were initially looking at finance we approached a number of personal banks. We just found the red tape was incredibly difficult, and we were unable to get the finance that we required.”

Alex and Iris were forced to carve out valuable time to deal with the monotonous, frustrating task of securing financial assistance.

One day, Iris heard an ad on the radio for Prospa. It sounded exactly like what they needed.

Filling up the tank with a small business loan

After hearing the ad, Iris was able to get in touch with a member of the Prospa team the same day.

“She sent an email through and literally within three hours somebody from Prospa had phoned back,” Alex says.

Things only took off from there, as the team at Prospa helped Alex and Iris determine which funding options suited Baker & Son. They settled on a small business loan that would help nurture the catering company as it continued to progress.

“We found the whole process was very straightforward and the staff were amazing to deal with,” Alex says.

Hear more about Baker & Son’s story:

What’s next for Baker & Son?

A Prospa Small Business Loan has turned out to be a vital cog in the Baker & Son catering machine, allowing Alex and Iris to supercharge their business quickly and efficiently.

“We found dealing with Prospa, the whole process was incredibly easy,” Alex says. “I have recommended Prospa to other colleagues of mine that have small businesses to let them know there is someone that makes things easy.”