Just Fresh Pasta

Client: Natascia Philips

Entrepreneur Natascia Philips is on a mission to make real fresh pasta available to UK consumers. In 2008, Natascia launched Just Fresh Pasta, London’s very first virtual store for truly fresh, Italian style, artisan pasta. Through the Business London: Start up and Micro Business Support Programme, managed by GLE and funded by the London Development Agency (LDA), Natascia received invaluable help and assistance to enable her to turn her mission into a business. Just fifteen months later, Just Fresh Pasta was awarded £3,000 in recognition of her sterling work and dedication to the business.

Natascia decided to leave a glamorous job in the film industry because she wanted to enjoy the perks of being her own boss and discover what genuine job satisfaction and passion felt like. Being of Italian heritage, Natascia felt that a trip to Italy might provide her with the necessary inspiration. She was right.

Natascia spent months learning how to make genuine real fresh pasta the Italian way in traditional Pastifici (fresh pasta shops) in Campania and Puglia. Upon her return to England, Just Fresh Pasta was born. The business began as a mother-daughter team effort but demand for the product forced Natascia to take her business idea seriously.

Through the Business London programme Natascia was put in touch with the Portobello Business Centre, her free local business support agency, and received all the information and assistance she needed to become a competent boss of her own business. Free business advice and mentoring, as well as practical help such as how to write a business plan and pitch for non-bank finance, helped Natascia to develop the already much-loved Just Fresh Pasta – the virtual store which delivers delicious hand-made pasta across west London.

“The advice I received through the Business London: Start up and Micro Business Support programme has been absolutely invaluable in terms of creating my business,” says Natascia, “Without the help of my mentor, I’m not sure I would be making a living from pasta. Starting a business is an enormous task that you will never fully comprehend until you begin the process,” Natascia continues, “Get as much help as you possibly can and listen to your advisers, they know what they’re talking about”.

Natascia is currently focussing on expanding her business. The prize money she was awarded will be used to buy a vacuum-packing machine, enabling Just Fresh Pasta to extend the shelf-life of its product from one day to five. This will allow the company to extend the delivery area and supply larger retailers such as supermarkets. One day, Natascia hopes her artisan product will be available all over the UK.

The Business London: Start up and Micro Business Support programme in the seven central London boroughs is managed by GLE. Delivered by Centa Business Services, GLE oneLondon, Portobello Business Centre and Prevista, the service is funded by the London Development Agency.

For more information about how you can develop your business idea and access free business advice, please visit www.enterprisecentral.co.uk

To have a look at some truly delicious pasta, please visit the Just Fresh Pasta website www.justfreshpasta.com.