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An East Yorkshire entrepreneur has driven away in a gleaming new Mercedes van after being crowned Britain’s hardest ‘Grafta’ in a competition to honour the nation’s unsung army of small business heroes.
The Vito Sport Dualiner was presented to Erika Harman, the founder of Brough-based catering firm Hungry Henry’s.
The mother-of-two’s business flair and unwavering commitment wowed the judges at the 2007 Grafta Awards, which are run jointly by The Sun newspaper and Mercedes-Benz.
Erika started Hungry Henry’s from scratch in 1999 and now employs 14 full-time staff, manning catering trailers, running on-site canteens and providing vending services. She has also branched out into corporate catering under the name of Harman’s On-Site Services.
Erika recalls: “It was June 10, 1999, and I had just been made redundant from my job in financial services – on the same day our eldest son, Henry, was born. I couldn’t afford not to work but I wanted to set up my own business so I could look after Henry as well.
“I hadn’t any catering experience at the beginning; I just saw an opportunity in the market. There was a new development in the area and I realised there would be a lot of hungry men to feed.
“So I produced a business plan and had a successful meeting with the building developers, who were more than happy for me to provide food for their workers. Our local Lloyds TSB Bank gave me a £5,000 loan to buy my first catering trailer and I then spent hours making sandwiches and lots of tea. It was hard work and in the beginning there were not many mouths to feed, so I only took £8 a day in my first week. But I knew there would be more men on the site and that things could only get better, which is what’s happened.”
Seven years later and with her business well and truly established, Erika is still very hands-on, serving in canteens, running the office and finding new clients.
Husband Grant, who now works alongside her, says: “She puts in long hours, breaking off to be with the children and often going back to work when they’re in bed. When Harvey was born in 2002, she was back working again after three days! She works Saturdays, and Sundays are spent tidying up after us and watching Henry play for his school football team, so she never has any time to herself. She is our Grafta!”
Erika’s stylish new Vito Sport 115CDI is a real head-turner thanks to its 17-inch alloy wheels, metallic black paint and extensive chrome trim, while a punchy 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine gives it the performance to match. As a Dualiner model it also has a second row of seats while the vehicle’s extensive specification includes luxury touches like air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel and gearshift, and electric windows and mirrors.
“The Vito Sport Dualiner is fantastically versatile,” declares Erika. “It’s great fun to drive and with seating for six, as well as a generous load area, is ideal for work and pleasure.
“We had been using my brother-in-law’s van for transporting all our canteen equipment, as we couldn’t afford to replace our old van, which failed its MoT last year. So this wonderful new Mercedes is going to make a huge difference to our business.” |
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