AN enterprising couple who turned their passion for food into a thriving Mexican deli in Cornwall have been named as Ambassadors for the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme in 2025.

Francis Pipe and Jennifer Herrera, who describe themselves as “partners in life and cooking”, started Pica Rico Deli in Helston in 2023 with the help of a £25,000 Start Up Loan which they used to fit out their professional kitchen.

Start Up Loans ambassadors shine a spotlight on entrepreneurs who have turned their business ideas into reality with support from the government-backed initiative. Each ambassador has been chosen for showcasing the determination, innovation and resilience needed to grow a small business, while inspiring others to pursue their own entrepreneurial journeys.

Francis and Jennifer first met while working in Dubai 10 years ago and since then have honed their skills in kitchens around the world. Their journey began with a pop-up taqueria selling tacos in a Finsbury Park pub and later took them to a restaurant kitchen in Berlin.

They also travelled extensively through Jennifer’s native Mexico, learning ancestral cooking methods. This included working with heirloom varieties of corn, which they now import from Mexico from regenerative farming co-operatives and grind on the premises using volcanic stones. Longer term they would like to grow heirloom varieties in Cornwall and have experimented with some small scale planting.

A return to Francis’ Cornish roots in 2018 saw the couple work the pop-up scene, including a successful residency in Penzance, before they decided to make the leap and find a permanent home for their business.

Having settled on a shop in the centre of Helston, the couple haven’t looked back. Their deli, Pica Rico, which roughly translates as ‘spicy delicious’, fuses Mexican cuisine with sustainably-sourced Cornish produce.

Jennifer said: “The pop-up business gave us an income, but we wanted to put all our energy into our shop in Helston and something that was more sustainable. It’s been wonderful to settle and grow with the community. We bring the essence and heart of Mexico with Cornish produce – it’s fantastic and the connection with food and with people is so rewarding.

“We couldn’t have done it without a Start Up Loan because we would not have been able to get other funding. The loan really changed our focus, giving us stability and peace of mind so we could concentrate on building our dream.”

Francis added: “We accepted that we were niche in a traditional market town, which would present challenges we knew we would face, but we’ve had such a fantastic reception and our customers come from miles around.”

British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme facilitates, through a network of Business Support Partners, personal loans of up to £25,000 at a fixed rate of interest and free mentoring to help those looking to start or grow a new or early-stage business.

Since launching in 2012, the programme has made 1,644 loans to start-ups in Cornwall, totalling £17.4m.

For more information on the programme, visit www.startuploans.co.uk