Cornish butcher celebrates £143k investment from Business Catalyst Fund

An independent Cornish wholesale butcher has secured a £143,000 investment from the Business Catalyst Fund to support its continued growth and expansion into export markets.

RJ Trevarthen, headquartered in Roskrow, Penryn, has grown from a 'one man and a van' operation in the mid 80s to a multi-million pound turnover business with a 24 vehicle fleet and 65 employees.
 
In the last couple of years, the butcher has experienced rapid growth overseas, forging new links in China where some cuts of meat, not popular in Britain and the rest of Europe, are considered nutritious delicacies.
 
The investment from the Business Catalyst Fund is part of a £357,000 project to expand RJ Trevarthen's facility in Penryn.

Founder Robert Trevarthen said the 460 sq metre extension would safeguard 36 jobs, create a further six and provide greater storage capacity and operating space.
 
The Business Catalyst Fund is a £5 million investment scheme, funded by the Regional Growth Fund, to help eligible businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly improve productivity and create jobs. The corporate finance team at Francis Clark in Truro assisted RJ Trevarthen's application.
 
RJ Trevarthen sells all meats including their own hams, cold meats and hogs pudding. The business supplies top restaurants across Cornwall as well as smaller independent butchers, catering companies, pubs, hotels and farmers markets. All of the meat is from trusted local farmers and has full traceability.
 
As well as selling to the Dutch and Belgian markets the business is successfully exporting to China, where fifth quarter products are particularly popular with consumers due to their high protein content.
 
Robert Trevarthen said: "Roughly an eighth of our business now comes from abroad - we started selling cattle to Holland and Belgium three years ago and the Chinese market has opened up too.
 
"We can't be held back by not having enough space or the right facilities. This grant and the project as a whole is a great thing for us and I'm very grateful to Dave Bullen at Francis Clark for helping us through the process. It will not only create new jobs, but continue to support our existing employees and the network of small farmers who provide us with the best local produce."
 
David Bullen from the Truro office of Francis Clark, who handled RJ Trevarthen's Business Catalyst Fund application, said: "RJ Trevarthen is a fantastic Cornish success story that is supporting local farms and markets and promoting quality Cornish meat both within the UK and further afield.
 
"The Business Catalyst Fund is designed to support businesses like this that want to step up a gear and move to the next level, and we are delighted to be involved in this latest stage of the business's development.
 
"Despite the fragile economic recovery we are still seeing growth-minded businesses in Cornwall coming forward with investment proposals, and that is very encouraging."
 
The £5 million available through the Business Catalyst Fund has come from the Government's Regional Growth Fund following a successful bid from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The fund is managed by Cornwall Development Company on behalf of the LEP and Cornwall Council.
 
Chris Pomfret, Chair of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership said

"Business Catalyst Fund aims to support companies to take the next step in terms of business growth. RJ Trevarthen is a great example of a Cornish business competing on an international scale and the fund has enabled expansion into export markets whilst also creating and safeguarding local jobs."

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