A Bristol-based coffee brand is to expand its reach and strengthen its team after securing a loan from alternative regional funder SWIG Finance.
TrueStart Coffee, which is led by entrepreneurial husband-and-wife team Helena and Simon Hills, will use the £158,000 loan to take advantage of growth opportunities with new retailers while also increasing its staff from five to eight over the next six months. 
Helena and Simon, pictured with SWIG senior business manager Nicola Parker, left, created the business nearly 10 years ago as the world’s only coffee designed specifically for the sports market.
The pair had been triathlon training while also working hard. They were drinking lots of coffee to keep them going but could not find one that had constant caffeine levels and health benefits and also tasted good.
As a certified B Corp, TrueStart Coffee is also continuously looking for new ways to improve its social and environmental impact, including reducing its carbon footprint. Currently, 92.6% of their packaging is recyclable.
SWIG Finance, which is a non-profit company, supports viable South West businesses that cannot secure sufficient funding from their bank.
SWIG senior business manager Nicola Parker said: “I was delighted to support Simon and Helena with their growth plans.
“They have worked hard over the years to create a memorable brand that stands out in its marketplace and their evolution has been fascinating.
“They have consistently grown their customer base and have some very exciting opportunities in front of them. We look forward to seeing how the business grows over the next few years”.
Helena added: “The funding has enabled us to increase our inventory as well as grow the team by hiring more talent here in the South West.
“Nicola was very personal and friendly from the outset. We felt the process was transparent and went both smoothly and quickly as a result.”
In the 2022/23 financial year SWIG lent £14m to 478 businesses, helping create and secure more than 1,000 jobs and generate £44.6m in social impact.
Image @JonCraig_Photos
