St Ives’ popular seafood restaurant and bar, The Rum & Crab Shack, has invested £70k in a full kitchen refurbishment, with help from Truro-based asset finance provider, Ignition.

The Rum & Crab Shack has enjoyed pride of place on the harbour-front since it was established in 2012 and has become a favourite for locals and visitors alike with its unique blend of cocktails, seafood and ocean views.

The complete refurbishment of its kitchen has included modernising all fixtures, fittings and equipment, such as fridges, freezers, cookers and grills, as well as improved ventilation and better use of space.  The customer toilets have also been relocated and refurbished as part of the project, and the dining area has been extended with more covers added.

The Rum & Crab Shack Director, Neythan Hayes, comments:

“We’ve been keen to overhaul the kitchen for some time, to improve the working environment for our staff in the long term, but knew it would need considerable investment.  Ignition’s finance package offered competitive rates and has enabled us to spread the cost over a number of months, making the finance much more manageable. This is particularly helpful in the current climate, as rising inflation is pushing up wholesale costs and the entire hospitality industry is feeling the squeeze.

He continues: “We definitely went ahead at the right time, before the Easter holidays and the start of the busy summer season, and we’re already seeing the benefits.  Our customers are enjoying the same views, vibes and delicious food and drink that they have come to love, but behind the scenes our employees are working in a cooler kitchen with more space and much better equipment.  We really value our staff: it’s important to us that as well as providing a great customer experience, The Rum and Crab Shack is also a great place to work.”

Graham Mines, Relationship Manager at Ignition, comments: “We were happy to help The Rum and Crab Shack with this venture.  It’s great to be able to support a successful local business and I’m sure they will enjoy the benefits of their investment for many years to come.”

The Rum and Crab Shack is home to the iconic Dead Man’s Fingers spiced rum and Stargazy Cosmic Caramel liqueur.  The team are currently recruiting ahead of the busy summer season and are asking for interested candidates to get in touch.

Brookland Sand & Aggregates Ltd has purchased a suite of six machines worth £1.5m, with help from the Truro-based vehicle and asset finance provider, Ignition.

Brookland is an independent family business working out of Littlejohn’s Pit near St Austell, which recycles and processes china clay waste into high quality sustainable secondary sand and aggregates. Formed 12 years ago by parent company, Norman Cleave Plant Hire, the company produces granite aggregates and sands suitable for roads, paths and driveways and for general building use. It also supplies producers of ready-mix concrete.

Since its inception, the company has expanded rapidly and has been awarded a number of substantial contracts.  In order to keep up with this increasing demand, it has invested in a suite of used machinery over the last six weeks, including two cone crushers, a jaw crusher, an excavator and a loading shovel, worth around £1.5m.  All have been obtained on a Hire Purchase finance agreement arranged by Ignition, meaning that the purchase cost is spread by regular repayments over a set period of time.

According to Finance Manager, David Mitchell, the new machinery is already helping to boost productivity:

“Demand for our products has soared in recent years.  This is partly due to an increase in road construction, building and home improvements across Cornwall, but also thanks to our reputation for providing excellent quality products at a good price and with exceptional aftersales.

“In the early days, we used to process around 1,500 tonnes of waste on a busy day.  Now we regularly process 8,000 tonnes per day, and obviously need reliable machinery to support this.

“The machines and equipment have been purchased second-hand and have been re-purposed so that they are perfect for our needs.  We’re already benefiting from our investment and are grateful to Ignition for helping us secure them.”

Nicola Hambly, Associate Director at Ignition, comments: “Brookland Sand & Aggregates is an excellent example of a successful local business taking the opportunity to increase production to meet industry demand. It’s been a pleasure working with the team, and we’re looking forward to supporting them further as the company continues to grow.”