Mediterranea weathers the recession

When successful Sardinian chef Efisio Fronteddu's restaurant fell empty during the peak of the economic downturn, the Croydon Enterprise Loan Fund secured the finance to keep his business afloat.

"It was like a tsunami," said Efisio. "I had opened the restaurant in 2007 and although it was tough at first, 2008 was a good year up to around October.  But then the economic downturn hit, and the trade just stopped. The December period was a disaster and then January and February were even worse. I burned through all the profits I had made in 2008 and was starting to make a loss. The banks wouldn't help, but luckily Croydon Enterprise realised I still had a viable business and helped me apply to their Loan Fund for temporary help".

"It saved me - that loan was the only thing that kept me going. And I am already paying it back. They also gave me a business mentor who provided really good advice, which means my business is now growing even better than before."

Six months on, Efisio's Mediterranea restaurant in Crystal Palace is back in profit once again with regular bookings and sell-out nights.

One of the UK's few specialists in Sardinian food, Efisio is slowing expanding his business with support from Croydon Enterprise. He now also supplies the delicacies he serves, including specially imported Sardinian ham, cheese, olive oil and bread. He is currently seeking a licence to be able to trade wholesale in the Sardinian wine which is so popular at his restaurant.

Efisio, his wife Matilde, and head chef Edward, founded The Mediterranea, in Westow Street, Crystal Palace, in 2007 when family commitments meant the Fronteddus needed to find a place to settle down.

"We had done a lot of travelling, and I had worked in restaurants in Belgravia and the West End," said Efisio. "But the best time for me was when I took over a restaurant in Sardinia with a friend. We were fantastically successful and it gave me a taste for running my own business.

When we wanted to settle back in the UK for our children, I knew I wanted to work for myself and chose Crystal Palace as we had lived here before and we liked it. I miss Sardinia but I don't have to live there - I visit regularly and bring back a piece of it here to my restaurant."

Efisio took over a former local café and traded successfully until the economic downturn, getting national coverage when he featured on the TV Show The F-Word with Gordon Ramsey about the Sardinian maggot infested cheese Casu Marzu. He specialises in Mediterranean food, specifically Sardinian, which is noted for its blend of fresh ingredients and local herbs and spices to deliver a simple, yet refined taste. The aim is to deliver a flavour of the island itself, with fish, local herbs and fruit and vegetables ripened in warm Mediterranean sunshine. Seafood and wild game give strength and distinction to meals with different breads and local wines being the essential basics.

"We were so lucky Croydon Enterprise saw us as a viable business and it was just bad luck we were caught in the recession, rather than we didn't have a future," said Efisio. "Older, stronger businesses could weather the storm, but my restaurant was only a year old, trade was volatile and the business fragile. By giving us that helping hand when we really needed it, they kept us in business."

The Croydon Enterprise Loan Fund is aimed at businesses which are finding it hard to get loans from mainstream sources and has supported nearly 50 businesses since it launched in early 2008. For more information, call the Croydon Enterprise Business Hotline on 020 8680 6161. 

The Loan Fund forms part of Croydon's Economic Recovery Plan which aims to help local people and businesses survive the recession. The plan was drawn up earlier this year by Croydon Council and Croydon Business in partnership with a range of key agencies, including South London Business, Croydon College, JobCentre Plus, Croydon Enterprise, Envibe, Safer Croydon, Croydon  Business Venture, Business Link, and Croydon Voluntary Action.  The plan is currently being led by the new Croydon Economic Development Company.