The growing your own business seminars

11 & 12 June 2010, Manchester Central

Chantelle Ludski, Founder and CEO, Fresh! Naturally Organic

Chantelle Ludski: former commercial lawyer, now sandwich, pie and soup maker (and part-time vegetable gardener). Everything organic - always.

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Chantelle studied law at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. After serving articles in Cape Town she was seconded to her firm's European offices and spent 18 months in London and the Isle of Man gaining experience in corporate/commercial law. She read for an LLM degree in 1993 at University College, London, specialising in international business law.

After graduating with distinction and as a Shmitthoff scholar in 1994, Chantelle was offered a position as general counsel of a multinational trading company in the food & drink sector. She resigned her position after 3 years to start a full-time MBA degree at London Business School. Whilst at London Business School, Chantelle was Co-Chair of the School's Entrepreneurs' Club and a founder of what has become an annual conference on entrepreneurship at the School. She graduated in July 2000, and was a recipient of the School's Alumni Achievement Award. Chantelle was nominated by the business school as their Student of the Year, for the Association of MBAs Student of the Year.

In September 1999, whilst still at business school, Chantelle started fresh! the organic café, , the UK's first organic café. The business started on the back of a desperate need for good coffee on campus!

fresh! has been featured extensively in newspapers, magazines and on BBC television & radio since the opening of the first cafe. The Observer newspaper styled Chantelle as "The Next Anita Roddick". Real Business magazine voted fresh! as one of the "50 hot businesses to watch" in the new Millennium. Having got the business to a small chain of 4 organic cafes, Chantelle decided that the vision for the business was to give everyone possible the opportunity of eating a delicious organic sandwich and start supplying other retailers with fresh! branded products. And so fresh! naturally organic was born. fresh! naturally organic now delivers a range of chilled grab & go goods across the UK to multiple & independent retailers and food service operations -Sainsbury's, Tesco, Boots, ASDA, Eurostar, Planet Organic, As Nature Intended, London Zoo and the House of Commons to name a few. Everything is organic and in bio-degradable/compostable packaging.

The team is developing a name for creating quality, innovative products and has had a run of successes on the awards front: Soil Association Organic Food Awards, Organic & Natural Products Awards, British Sandwich Association Awards; Caterer & Hotelkeeper Excellence in Food & Drink Awards; Checkout Magazine Convenience Food Awards. Chantelle is also a recipient of the Soil Association's Organic Business Person of the Year Award.