From Sheffield street trading to high-demand festivals, New York’shire Pizza Co used Liberis funding to unlock growth, scale operations, and compete for bigger opportunities.

New York’shire Pizza Co is a dynamic mobile pop-up pizza business established in late 2020. Winston, the current owner, serves pub, festival, and outdoor event visitors with their ‘non-artisan’ speciality, thin-based New York-style pizzas with toppings loaded to the brim.

2020 may have been a tricky time to launch a new business, but the city of Sheffield (UK) welcomed Winston’s pizzas, infused with a Yorkshire/Jamaican twist, with open arms- especially in a time where eating outside was the current norm. Rain or shine, Winston and his team serve unique pizzas to event goers, accompanied by upbeat music to keep the good vibes going.

As the business grew, Winston recognised a need for investment. Not only were oven maintenance costs steadily increasing, but having started with a modest festival setup, New York’shire Pizza needed to expand its infrastructure to effectively cater to new demand- from larger gazebos to fridge & freezer hires.

The post-COVID boom in outdoor food also brought increased competition. As Winston observed, “The whole industry exploded with hobbyist food traders and the market was saturated.” To counteract increased competition, seasonal fluctuations, and to capitalise on festival opportunities, further investment became necessary.

Winston decided to seek funding through Liberis, facilitated by his Tide business account, and was driven by a preference for alternatives to traditional high street banks. “I didn’t want a high street bank initially,” Winston recalled, “I applied for 1 or 2 (cash advances) and Liberis were quickest to come back straight away…The fees were really good as well, which appealed to me at the time.”

Reflecting on the application experience, Winston commented, “It’s been perfect, it’s been absolutely spot on, I can’t really knock it. Nothing complicated, just really straightforward. A refreshing level of trust.” The payment structure, linked seamlessly to his Tide account, proved to be a significant benefit too. “It (payments) takes the worry away, you don’t think about it as it’s already taken care of,” Winston explained. He added, “It’s probably the best thing for me. It makes it really easy peasy.”

Winston took a total of 3 capital advances from 2023-2025, and this flexible funding has delivered tangible results for New York’shire Pizza.

It has provided a crucial cash flow boost, whilst enabling the business to operate at its optimal capacity and implement new growth strategies. With festivals/pubs favouring food vendors who can service larger crowds, Winston was able to us grow his business tenfold and double their maximum output from 110 pizzas per hour to 220!

Winston emphasized the vital role of the funding, stating, “It’s allowed for progress. When things don’t go right with your business they go wrong at the wrong time, and the funding is a lifeline.” When asked if he would consider Liberis funding again, Winston’s response was unequivocal: “Oh absolutely yeah, without a shadow of a doubt it’d be my first option.”