Elevating Exports is a brand-new series that explores how Black British business owners have exported worldwide, brought to you by UK Export Finance (UKEF). UK Export Finance is the UK government’s export credit agency. It helps UK companies win, fulfil and get paid for international business by providing guarantees, insurance and loans to support export activities.
We had Ken and Mary Okoroafor from The Humble Penny sit down with Lottie Whyte from MyoMaster, Pat Hinds from Pat and Pinky’s, and Byron Dixon from Micro-Fresh to find out about their export journeys.
Pat and Pinky’s
Pat and Pinky’s is a culinary venture founded by Pat Hinds, who redirected his career to focus on his love of Guyanese food. Inspired by his late mother, known as Pinky, Pat’s company celebrates his culture’s vibrant flavours. He told Ken, “We have a chilli called the Wiri Wiri chilli, which everybody uses in Guyana. That really is the foundation of what our company is about.”
Still self-funding his business, Pat has frequently turned away opportunities because of his cash flow. After chatting more with Ken about UKEF’s products and services, he’ll now be reaching out to them to help him fulfil future export orders.
Looking ahead, Pat has big plans for the growth of Pat and Pinky’s — he already exports to Europe and some parts of America, and he’s now keen to establish a presence in Africa.
MyoMaster
MyoMaster is a revolutionary wellness brand with a mission to empower individuals to achieve optimal physical performance and recovery. Founded by Lottie Whyte and her professional rugby player partner Joe, the company was established with a deep understanding of the importance of recovery in athletic training and overall well-being. “It’s a bit of sport that most people forget about,” Lottie told Ken.
MyoMaster offers cutting-edge products and technology, which are designed to enhance muscle recovery, reduce muscle soreness and improve flexibility.
When talking about the challenges she faced running a business, Lottie cites what she calls “the two C’s: confidence and cash.” She explained to Ken that coming from her background, the idea of building a multimillion-dollar brand seemed out of reach at first. “I don’t have access to family and friends with lots of money…‘How am I going to access cash?’ or ‘How am I going to get enough to grow?’” she said. “And to be honest, that remains a big problem.”
In addition to Europe, MyoMaster is also currently exporting to the US and Asia, though Lottie noted that there are still lots of hurdles she’s keen to get UK Export Finance’s support on. She told Ken, “I’m going to go speak to my local Export Finance Manager at UKEF. I’m really excited to tap into their knowledge and expertise.”
Micro-Fresh
Established by Byron Dixon in 2006, Micro-Fresh emerged with a commitment to developing and delivering cutting-edge antimicrobial and odor-control solutions.
It has since become a global leader in antimicrobial solutions and is ever-growing. “We export to almost 40 countries,” Byron told Mary. “We have 13 offices around the world in nine countries, and this year, we’re going to open three more, so we are a truly global exporter.”
Developing strong working relationships has been the key to Byron’s exporting success. He has regular meetings with his bank, personal relationship manager and a local International Trade Adviser at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Byron told Mary he meets with DBT about once a month and advises everyone to take advantage of their great services, saying, “Any export markets we’re thinking of going into ... we run it by them first.”
While Byron is now a successful exporter, one of his first forays into an international market didn’t quite go as planned. After sending a quantity over to an overseas partner, he realised the buyer had disappeared and, crucially, without payment. Mary points out that is where UKEF could have been on hand to help; they can help to mitigate risk of nonpayment with insurance. Thankfully, Byron is now looking to UKEF for help with winning contracts, fulfilling orders and getting paid for his future export finance needs.