Supporting small businesses
Our Journey
To thrive and effectively compete with larger companies, it is important for smaller businesses to build strategic alliances. Small businesses offer a platform to transform passion into purpose, as was the case for us at The Pink Elephant, and we are driven by our mission to strengthen and support like-minded brands. Today, The Pink Elephant proudly supports over 40 small independent businesses in and around the UK. As our community grows and we address the question of "how to support a small business," we welcome you to witness our journey in supporting a remarkable array of innovative, ever-growing small businesses.
In the beginning of 2020, our founder Ian Henderson launched The Pink Elephant as a picnic box and grazing platter business. Entrusted with curating a unique, seasonal menu featuring high-quality food products, Ian began to expand his network within the culinary realm. Starting from his own experience as a small business owner, Ian felt inspired to support other similar independent businesses, and this marked the beginning of The Pink Elephant’s quest to unite and foster a supportive community of local and independent brands across the UK. Our journey began by supporting Tadinka Nougat, an exciting small business renowned for its premium, all natural, melt-in-your-mouth nougat. Inspired by this strong relationship, Ian continued broadening his network through supporting Italian and Spanish meat suppliers, olive and nut suppliers, local bakeries, sweet treat makers and various other quality products across the food industry.
Picture: Our first small business to support Tadinka Nougat
Towards the end of 2021, our founder Ian saw the opportunity to scale up his existing business model focused purely on food and move into the realm of event styling. This expansion saw an entire relaunch of The Pink Elephant brand, including a fresh logo and website, acquisition of an alcohol licence and the initiation of creating a solid network within the food, beverage, floral and tablescaping industry. This soon propelled The Pink Elephant team into an exploration of the world of wines. Right from the start, our pursuit was not only for exquisite wines but also for a brand that resonated with our core values: sustainability and support for small businesses. This led us to Bancroft Wines. Since their beginning, Bancroft Wines has committed to representing smaller, family-run and/or managed wineries from around the world. It goes without saying that The Pink Elephant is proud to be collaborating with Bancroft Wines, featuring an assortment of their sustainable wines in our wedding, corporate and event styling packages. Further information on our wine menu can be found here.
As The Pink Elephant’s event styling packages evolved to encompass more exclusive, upscale events like corporate and wedding functions, Ian proactively engaged with additional small businesses in the industry. Collaborations with the talented florists at SW Blooms and Wheelers Flowers have helped bring floral visions to life for our clients through their personalised and expertly crafted arrangements. To expand our table décor range, The Pink Elephant discovered Native and Wild, a small independent tableware company based in the UK sourcing eco-friendly, sustainable and biodegradable tableware from Sri Lanka. Our support also extends to various cocktail businesses, including Highball drinks, a family-owned business providing deliciously healthy alcohol-free alternatives to your favourite cocktails.
In harmony with the brand’s expansion, Ian worked with professionals spanning the globe to fulfil his dream of introducing a unique range of textiles. Through strategizing and collaborative efforts, Ian vision boarded a collection of designs and built relationships with several small, independent businesses to build his tablescaping range. Teaming up with Zippy van der Vijver, founder of the The Kenyan Craft’s Company, Ian and Zippy created a stunning range of sustainable, hand-woven table mats in The Pink Elephant’s signature fuchsia pink colour. Finally, with the creative assistance of Zimbabwean textile designer, Sara Mann, Ian launched The Pink Elephant’s online tablescaping shop, showcasing three unique African inspired designs with products including tablecloths, napkins, tea towels and aprons.
Dedicated to growing our small business community, and in line with our new Corporate and Wedding packages, The Pink Elephant has expanded its entertainment options by supporting independent musicians and entertainers. We are proud to work with musical experts: vocalist, Rebecca Cole, pianist-singer, John Hickman, and Rosie Loker, music expert and manager of Tailor Made Music Agency. Click here to read about our ever-growing music journey. Our thoughtfully designed music packages offer a diverse musical journey, spanning from jazz and classical quartets to pianist-singers and saxophones. These packages can be easily added to any event styling, corporate or wedding package for an enhanced experience.
Furthermore, The Pink Elephant is excited to collaborate with Evoke Entertainment, a small, London-based entertainment company specialising in remarkable event solutions. With an array of captivating performances like choreographed shows, circus acts, Burlesque stars, magicians, and aerial artists, Evoke Entertainment adds a touch of fun to every occasion. Stay tuned as we expand our community of musicians and entertainers. We're thrilled to welcome our newest addition, independent entertainer Drag Queen Crayola to The Pink Elephant family.
At The Pink Elephant, our dedication to supporting small businesses starts at home. We take pride in endorsing a talented team of freelancers who play a crucial role in our brand’s success. From designers and writers to marketers and bookkeepers, our closely connected and continuously expanding team embodies the very essence and aspiration of our mission statement: to collaborate, create and celebrate events by supporting small, independent businesses around the globe.
Written by: Gemma Parsons