Member of the Month: Dionne Mombeyarara

Congratulations to our Member of the Month for August, founder of Beanie Bun, Dionne Mombeyarara.

Now the founder of Newcastle-based Beanie Bun, Dionne’s entrepreneurial journey started in London when she was hit by a car after a shift at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

Dionne retells the story of how this unfortunate accident and a subsequent trip to Ethiopia led her to start the plant-based business in her hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne.

She explains:

“In developing countries, people have to be resourceful and entrepreneurial to make ends meet; there's no welfare.

“Watching the people waking up at the crack of dawn, cooking on the side street, I wanted to harness this energy. So, I returned from Ethiopia and thought about what I enjoyed, what I could do and formulated my business idea. I came up with burgers.”

Did you always want to start a business?   

I grew up in quite an entrepreneurial family. Before we moved to this country, my dad had multiple income streams. He was a head teacher, mined gold and had an artefact, arts and crafts business. It has always been in me to follow this path. But like my parents, I did go to university in 2015.

Once I graduated, while my friends were applying for internships, I wanted to start my own business. I didn’t know what, but I always loved food and cooking.

When I lived in London at uni, I loved working in food. To be honest, that's probably the path I would have followed had it not been for me returning to Newcastle.

Watch this webinar for key tips and insights from Dominique Woolf, founder of The Woolf’s Kitchen, on starting a successful food business and turning your passion into a thriving venture:

How did the idea for the business come about?  

While I was in London, I was hit by a car. I had just finished my shift at Gourmet Burger Kitchen and injured my right shoulder severely and couldn't work at the time.

I had to make a quick decision after assessing my finances. I could heal for three months in London, but it is so expensive. So, I decided to go back to Newcastle and heal for however long it took and would then return to London. But things kept happening.

I was awarded a grant prize at university and then travelled to Ethiopia in 2018 for three months. I came back to Newcastle and realised I could just stay here.

I was inspired by the amazing entrepreneurial spirit of people in Ethiopia. In developing countries, people have to be resourceful and entrepreneurial to make ends meet; there's no welfare.

Watching the people waking up at the crack of dawn, cooking on the side street, I wanted to harness this energy. So, I returned from Ethiopia and thought about what I enjoyed, what I could do and formulated my business idea. I came up with burgers. Ironically, my last job was at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

I saw a gap in the market in my city for something a bit different and unique. Back then veganism was a hot topic and I had been vegan for about two years by then.

There was a gap for vegan food that was not geared towards faux meat and so heavily processed. I wanted something more whole foods-based and that is how I came up with Beanie Bun.

Have you faced challenges serving this niche market? 

Some people misconstrue what veganism is. I have had customers say that they can't eat vegan food. To which I respond: “You can't eat vegetables? You can't eat mushrooms? You can't eat beans?”

People are sometimes set in their ways and are reluctant to accept something different. Food is so steeped in culture and people find it hard to overcome, but that's OK. We live in a democratic country and people can do as they wish.

We have had customers try our food not knowing it is vegan and only realise it at payment or when they double-check the menu. They try it out and are amazed at how nice it is.

Newcastle was ready for Beanie Bun because there was a well-established scene of other vegan eateries. It was just about finding a way to differentiate ourselves, which was anything encompassing whole foods.

People took a liking to our mushroom burger because it is deep-fried and looks like chicken. There's that familiarity, which is also important with foods.

It took a while to establish but now we have a following who thoroughly enjoy what we do.

When did you know it was a viable business?  

A business book I read said that all business ideas are bad. It's not until you trial the concept that you will know if the idea is viable and if there's any customer demand.

I would say we knew early on it was a viable business, especially when attending the local markets. People naturally explore and feel compelled to try.

Although it took a while to build a loyal following, after our third or fourth market and through word-of-mouth, which happens a lot with street food, we started to gain traction with our sales and revenue in about three months.

How has the Uber Eats Black Business Fund helped with your growth plans?

We were reeling from a poor summer of trade due to several factors: unprecedented and erratic weather patterns and the result of socioeconomic turmoil. The North East was one of the worst-affected areas with high levels of unemployment and business closures.

Our Q3 revenue thus subsequently dropped and the cash injection facilitated by the grant acted like a heavy tog duvet during the peak winter months.

We invested in upgrading our van so that we could serve at bigger events and launched our house sauce to diversify our revenue streams in an increasingly volatile market. We needed to do an expensive microbial shelf-life test for the sauce to know how long the product would last before we approached potential retailers or buyers to stock it.

What’s next for Beanie Bun?

In terms of diversification, I want to push the sauces and establish a whole range. For some retailers, one product doesn't really command shelf space and they want a whole range.

We have also decided to do bigger festivals from next year as opposed to sticking with local events. I am going to sign up to these middlemen who allocate vendors to different festivals.

Although pitch fees are higher, attending bigger festivals is lucrative, where there is a huge concentration of people who don't necessarily have the means or the sustenance to keep them going, so they're forced to buy food. Whereas with a market, takeaway is just an option.

When did you first become aware of the Enterprise Nation?

It was a very organic encounter. I googled something to do with business and came across Enterprise Nation. I signed up and found all these resources and the Lunch and Learns. I'm still a really big fan and check the newsletter every week.

When I am in a quandary, I will check Enterprise Nation first for information and any resources.

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