Crouchers Orchards Hotel

To build their new cottages and pizzeria, the family took out a mortgage to purchase the plots of land surrounding the estate. After less than year of construction, they were finally completed in late-2019. However, it was at exactly this time that the covid pandemic struck.

“Like most hospitality businesses, lockdown hit us really hard,” Carol van Rooyen, co-owner of Crouchers Orchards, explained. “Especially as the construction work meant we had been operating at half capacity.”

“Thankfully, our new pizzeria business meant we could continue to trade as a takeaway business during lockdown. It was a real stroke of luck, and meant we could keep paying our bills.”

After lockdown, Crouchers Orchards enjoyed an incredibly strong period as it got back to full capacity, along with giving its new pizzeria restaurant the grand opening it deserved. “The fact we have multiple income streams has been vital in keeping us a strong business – we even started growing our own food, which has helped protect against price rises and supply chain challenges!”

You’d have thought the business’s performance would have made it an ideal customer for lenders. That’s not the experience of Carol and her team, though.

In early-2022, Crouchers Orchards was told they’d need to find a new lender as their existing bank was exiting the UK.

“This was less than ideal. Just as we were building the hotel back up after covid, we suddenly had to find a new lender. And the list of banks willing to talk to hospitality businesses at that time was tiny, regardless of the strength of our business.”

Carol ended up seeking help from Chris Richards, a hospitality specialist at Swoop Funding. “Crouchers Orchards are a fantastic family-owned business,” Chris said. “They’d never been over-leveraged and had shown they knew how to manage the business in tough times.”

“There will always be a lender willing to work with a strong business like Crouchers Orchards. You just need to know where to look, how to make an approach, and manage a client’s expectations throughout. This is where Swoop can add real value"

Chris introduced Carol to Ben Green at Allica Bank. “I knew this was exactly the kind of business that Allica likes to support, and that Ben’s collaboration and can-do attitude would make sure it got over the line,” Chris explained. And we were happy to help. “This is complex work. But Ben brought me and the solicitors together as one big team. This cohesive approach was critical to getting the deal done.”

Talking about Crouchers Orchards, Ben said, “Banks shouldn’t disregard a business just because of the sector they’re in. Allica is so pleased to support a strong local employer like Crouchers Orchards. Their resilience is undeniable, and a fantastic example of how to futureproof a business. We are incredibly grateful to Swoop for introducing them to us, and I’m looking forward to growing with them!”

Marius Van Der Schyff, the commercial mortgage underwriter at Allica who handled the case, said, “Given the experience of the Wilson/van Rooyen family and their demonstrable understanding of the wider market, it was clear straightaway that Crouchers Orchards and Allica were the right fit for each other.”

“At a time when many banks are looking to reduce their hospitality exposure, Allica will always consider each application on a case-by-case basis – especially when the borrower has a management team and track record as strong as this!”

Talking about the remortgage, Carol said, “we were so relieved to get it done – at times it felt like no one would touch us except Allica. It means now we can turn our attention to getting on with running our business.”