GovWire

About the project

Family run business, Larrys Fishcakes, is an established fishcake manufacturer in North Shields. They produce scampi, fish fingers and fishcakes. The company was heavily reliant on the wholesale market and faced logistical challenges in 2020/21 dueto closures in the hospitality industry and transport issues as a result of Covid-19. ?

In 2021, MMO awarded 150,000 to Larrys Fishcakes to reduce their reliance on the wholesale market and adhere to retail regulations allowing them to diversify fully into the retail sector. This was achieved by the purchase of a suite of processing equipment and a refrigerated vehicle. A further 12,000 was awarded in 2023 to support their marketing and promotional activity. ?

These investments have since enabled Larrys Fishcakes to further diversify their business model to account for the impacts on the sector such as the cost-of-living crisis and cost of utilities, who now offer a home food service to meet the needs of their customers.

Craig Foster, Owner of Larrys Fishcakes said:

The reality is that without FaSS assistance Larrys Fishcakes would be in a dark place if indeed here at all. Some of the things we did may not have worked 100% however the three to four years of projects have been very positive overall, and future proofed the company.

During these unprecedented times, the fact that we are still here and have managed to grow is a testament to my wonderful team, our suppliers, this funding support and ourcustomers. I hope now that we can have a prolonged period of normality.

FaSS enabled Larrys Fishcakes to be flexible and MMO grants team have been incredibly helpful from day one.

Outcomes

By March 2025, this project is expected to deliver:

• 3 FTE created (delivered)
• 9 FTE safeguarded (delivered)
• Increased resilience
• Net profit increase of 80,000
• Improved market share by establishing a new customer base.

View more case studies here:Fisheries and Seafood Scheme: Selected case studies