A Plymouth café specialising in sumptuous chocolate-dipped strawberries is celebrating a year in revamped harbourside premises thanks to a £65,000 loan from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, delivered by SWIG Finance.
Signature Strawberries owner Cherelle Miller launched the business from her kitchen table as a lockdown project in 2020. Today, she has 15 employees, an extensive menu and queues stretching round the block at her light and airy premises on Plymouth’s historic Sutton Harbour.
Rewind to 2020, and Cherelle was on the verge of giving up her job in sales and emigrating to sunny Ibiza with her husband. “We had our flights booked and a deposit paid on an apartment,” she recalls. “Then Covid hit and we lost everything. It was devastating.”
There followed seven months of furlough, during which Cherelle indulged her love of cooking by starting an online recipe page and seeking inspiration on Instagram. “The algorithm threw up chocolate-dipped strawberries in Amsterdam – I was mesmerised by them.” she says.
She decided to have a go, using supermarket strawberries, chocolate and sprinkles. “They looked terrible,” she laughs. “But they tasted good, and I gave them to friends to cheer them up. I kept experimenting to make them as good as they could possibly be, and by the time I was called back to work, I knew this was what I wanted to do. So I quit – when I said I was leaving to dip strawberries, my boss thought I was mad.”
Cherelle built her business from home by creating gift boxes of chocolate-covered strawberries. Word spread, and in the run-up to special events like Mother’s Day, the street would be gridlocked with collecting customers. It became apparent larger premises were necessary, so Cherelle bit the bullet and rented a unit at Plymouth’s Faraday Mill industrial park in March 2021.
She was joined by her barista friend Sam, who saw the potential to create a destination for coffee and savoury snacks. That was the moment Signature Strawberries became a full-on café: “We were rammed at weekends,” says Cherelle. “The industrial estate was a good stepping stone, but the business deserved better and had more potential.”
Scenic Sutton Harbour has a long history of hospitality, and Cherelle had her eye on renting an empty unit that had hosted cafés and restaurants before and spotted the perfect opportunity on New Year’s Day, 2023. Once secured, the tired space required a comprehensive six-month refit, which is where the South West Investment Fund loan came in.
The glorious marina views coupled with the laid-back vibes of Cherelle’s beloved Balearic Islands have ensured a roaring trade, with Signature Strawberries flying high on TripAdvisor’s listings for Plymouth desserts. The original chocolate strawberries are still at the heart of the business – you can build your own box and collect in store; but there’s also an imaginative menu of “elevated brunches”, bagels, high teas, mocktails and hot drinks including trendy matchas.
Events such as Valentine’s and Mother’s Day see special additions which pull the crowds in, and the venue is also available for private bookings. There’s even a Saturday morning running club, offering 3k and 5k routes followed by coffee and treats at an exclusive discount.
Sam is still on the team as supervisor, and Cherelle has gone from lone operator to being the manager of a busy restaurant in six years. “There are definitely ‘pinch-me moments’,” says Cherelle, who benefitted from 12 months of Santander Women in Business mentoring to build her confidence.
“My background in sales has been fundamental in shaping the way I operate within the hospitality industry. Although the industries differ, the core principles – customer engagement, and service excellence and communication – remain the same.”
Ultimately, Cherelle has plans to expand her business to other cities in the coming years. As for that dream of Ibiza, success has made her philosophical. “You have to trust the universe – I think everything happens for a reason,” she says. “I started Signature Strawberries with £250, and it’s now a six-figure business.”
Adele Jones, Associate Business Manager for SWIG Finance, said: “I liked Cherelle’s passion. Having conceived and created this business during the pandemic, with no real experience, she has been on quite a journey to bring her vision to life. She hit some issues during her refurb which took much longer to open; however, she is resilient and determined, and overcame them all to be very successful. The café/bar is a huge hit, deservedly so, and Cherelle has created a fantastic brand. The business has so much potential and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”
David Tindall, Senior Investment Manager from the British Business Bank said: “Cherelle’s journey from a lockdown idea at her kitchen table to running a popular harbourside café is exactly the kind of entrepreneurial drive our South West Investment Fund the fund is designed to back. By providing access to finance, we’re helping ambitious founders across the region start, grow and realise their potential, creating jobs and opportunity in the process.”
The purpose of the South West Investment Fund is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the South West. It offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans from £25k to £100k, debt finance from £100k to £2m and equity investment up to £5 million.
The fund is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for South West smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.
Visit www.signaturestrawberries.co.uk to find out more.
