Alan and Alison Ryder love working together and have big plans for the future.

With backgrounds in retail and experience of working with a franchise organisation, Alan and Alison Ryder spent a year looking at various options for a franchise business that would allow them to work together and balance family life.

Alan explains: “We liked the Oast House franchise model from our first point of contact with Matt Simmonds but wanted to make sure we’d looked at all the opportunities available to us before making a final decision. We spent a year looking at a range of opportunities but kept coming back to Oast House. In particular we liked the fact we’d not only be running a business that would enable us to jointly support the family but we’d also be raising money for a local charity rather than a national one.”

The Ryders started their Oast House business in Lincoln in mid-December 2015, and although it was close to the Christmas break it gave them time to get to know the customers and routines. The business quickly grew from the initial 300 boxes that head office placed with local businesses and Alan and Alison found the training and support from Matt and the team was invaluable.

“The range of products is different from other similar schemes and we’ve found that really helps. Some of our customers need their boxes refilled within a couple of days,” says Alan. “And of course the fact it’s supporting the local St Barnabas hospice in Lincoln helps to encourage people to leave the money in the box.”

Having made a successful start in Lincoln, the Ryders are now looking to expand into Nottingham. “We enjoy working together on stocking and delivering so we’ll initially run the two territories ourselves and maybe look at bringing in a bigger team in the future. In the meantime, I’d recommend that anyone considering Oast House shouldn’t delay as it’s expanding fast so grab the opportunity in your area,” concludes Alan.