My business journey: Duncan Swainsbury
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Duncan Swainsbury used his experience of volunteering in food banks and admiration of the 'one for one' business model to create a social enterprise that would tackle food poverty.
Bounceback Food sells a range of pasta, rice, tinned food, soup and cereal on a 'buy one, donate one' basis, matching every purchase with a like for like donation to your nearest FareShare/Trussell Trust foodbank. So far they have donated over 3,000 items of food, approximately 15,000 meals! They also sell gift hampers via their online store and run workshops that teach people how to cook, shop and save money.
We interviewed Duncan on the 1st of February 2017.
Can you tell us about Bounceback Food and what you do?
We are a social enterprise that supports foodbanks by selling food on a 'buy 1, give 1' basis - we also teach people how to cook!
Can you tell us about your background Duncan and what inspired you to set up your social enterprise?
I was inspired by TOMS and used my experience of volunteering in foodbanks to get Bounceback Food started.
When was Bounceback Food formed and what is your aim?
We trialled the idea at a Christmas market in Broughton, Salford in 2014 and have grown from there - our aim is to help end food poverty in the UK
Can you explain how Bounceback works?
We match every product you buy with a like for like donation to your nearest FareShare or The Trussell Trust.
What type of products do you sell?
We sell a range of pasta, rice, soup, cereal and tinned food at market events across the North West
What kind of business support - financial or mentoring - have you received in Manchester?
We've had support from the brilliant School for Social Entrepreneurs NorthWest and UnLtd.
What have been the biggest challenges of setting up your social enterprise?
When you startup you're in charge of every aspect of the business - the variety of tasks can be challenging!
What has been your proudest moment in business so far?
Last weekend with support from our customers we reached the 15,000 meal mark Altrincham Market.
What does the future hold? Any exciting plans we should keep an eye out for?
We're launching our new online store in the coming months and currently piloting Bounceback Education.
Finally, what advice would you give to other social entrepreneurs looking to set up their own business?
Do your market research, define your mission/core values then embrace the challenges of being a startup!
For further details on Bounceback Food visit https://www.bouncebackfood.co.uk/
Please note: This interview took place on the MiVentures platform which is owned and managed by Wenta.