How to grow from a single cafe to £100m turnover and keep your integrity - with Ben Warner
Ben started as a chef, working for Raymond Blanc and cooking on private yachts, before founding the catering company Benugo in 1998. The company started with a single café in Clerkenwell and have grown their portfolio to around 80 locations, employing approximately 2000 people and achieving annual turnover in excess of £100m.
Benugo now operates on the high street, on company premises, in parks and in museums, as well as running a delivery service for workers in London and providing catering for events. They also run the commercial side of the House of St Barnabus, a not-for-profit private members club and charity whose purpose is to break the cycle of homelessness and help the people they support back into work.
In this episode we discuss how Benugo started out, how they grew and how they stayed true to their vision while doing it. Essential listening for anyone in the industry with entrepreneurial ambitions and a social conscience.