Argyll pizza van takes a slice of the action

Rolling Pizza was set up by Dace McLellan in December 2023 after she converted an old horse box into a van with a wood-fired oven, allowing her to cook fresh pizzas made to order from any location. 

The mother of two young children set up the business to fit around her family, meaning she can work around school drop-off and pick-up, and take her children with her at weekends for a fun day out. 

The van travels across the region to fairs, shows, sports events, caravan parks and weddings, and has regular pitches at venues, including Kilmartin Hotel, Machrihanish Holiday Park and Lochgilphead Caravan Park.

Ms McLellan approached Business Gateway last year when the idea for the business first began.

With support and guidance from her local adviser, Donald Melville, she accessed start-up funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which helped with the initial set-up costs.

She was also offered advice on cash flow forecasting, allowing her to monitor the financial performance of the business to address any concerns early on.

With all of the building blocks in place, the business is now booming and expanding its offering.

Business Gateway also arranged for some one-to-one support from a digital expert to help get the most out of Rolling Pizza’s social media accounts.

Ms McLellan recently set up an online booking system to allow visitors at select sites to pre-book their orders and select a pick-up time.

This guarantees her custom for each site and provides an idea of how much of each ingredient she will need.

Ms McLellan said: “Donald and the team at Business Gateway were a huge support to me when setting up Rolling Pizza and have continued to be now we’re up and running. 

“Being in a rural area can often make it more difficult to find business support, but Donald has been a fantastic help and I really appreciate his guidance.”

Mr Melville said: “Dace has been doing so well, especially considering she began just a few months ago. 

“She has got a great set-up and we’ve been happy to support her on her journey and to provide her with advice that’s been key to starting and growing her business.”

For more information visit the Rolling Pizza website at www.rollingpizza.co.uk or visit the Facebook page.