Growing Against the Odds: The Story of a Female Founded Seed Brand

Female founded heirloom seed brand She Grows Veg is on track to reach a landmark £1 million in sales this year, just over two years after launch, marking a remarkable rise for one of Suffolk’s fastest growing businesses.

Founded in November 2023 by former marketeer Kate Cotterill and former jewellery designer Lucy Hutchings, She Grows Veg set out with a simple but distinctive mission: to inspire both beginners and seasoned growers to cultivate beautiful and delicious heritage vegetables. What began as a shared passion project has quickly become a nationally recognised brand, built on a mix of creativity, commercial instinct and an unshakeable belief in doing things differently.

The business specialises in heirloom seeds, celebrating varieties that are rich in flavour, colour and history. But while its unique product offering has played a major role in its growth, the driving force behind its success has been the founders themselves, two women who were determined to carve out space in an industry and funding landscape that still too often sidelines female entrepreneurs.

Starting out as just the two of them, Kate and Lucy now lead a team of 17 women. With sales revenue of £1 million firmly in sight, She Grows Veg is on course to join the small minority of female run businesses in the UK to reach that figure, estimated at just 1.9 per cent.

In the space of two years, the brand has also built an impressive public profile. It has secured two gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its innovative and immersive exhibits, alongside a wave of media attention across national radio, television and the press. More recently, She Grows Veg has been accepted into Buy Women Built, a network supporting women built brands, and Super Scalers, a global community for underrepresented founders with revenues of £1 million or more. The company has also launched on Ocado, marking its first major online retail listing.

“It is truly amazing how far we’ve come in such a short space of time,” says Kate. “I can’t believe we’re heading to £1 million sales this year and more than doubling revenue every year.”

Behind the headlines, however, the journey has not been without its obstacles. Like many female founders, Kate and Lucy encountered barriers from the very beginning. “Getting She Grows Veg off the ground wasn’t easy,” Kate explains. “Securing our first bank account was really hard and we also faced discrimination whilst trying to get a business loan, with a broker admitting it was harder to secure a loan as a female founder.”

Their experience reflects a wider structural problem. Figures from the Invest in Women Taskforce’s Annual Report show that female founders secure less than 2 per cent of all equity investment in the UK, a statistic that continues to shape the pace and scale at which women led businesses can grow.

To get started, the pair turned to crowdfunding, raising £25,000 in early funds. They then went through a rigorous process to secure further backing through Biz Britain, an organisation that supports new business owners. “It was important to look at different avenues and get creative in approaching challenges, rather than let them get the better of us,” says Kate.

That persistence paid off. In March 2025, She Grows Veg secured angel investment, giving the company the capital it needed to accelerate growth, expand its team and scale production.

Another defining feature of the business is its commitment to flexible working and family friendly employment. She Grows Veg is run entirely by women, and its working culture has been shaped around the realities many mothers face. “We are a company that supports women who want to have a career and be there for their children,” Kate explains. “Our employees all work flexible hours so they can do both, working around school runs, sports days and school holidays.”

As the company enters its third year, the founders show no signs of slowing down. Plans are already in motion to broaden the range of seeds on offer, deepen relationships with retailers and reach an even wider community of growers across the UK.

“As we start year three, we have so many plans that just continue to build on our success over the last two years, whilst also allowing us to reach an even broader range of potential growers,” says Kate.

In a business landscape where female founders are still underfunded and underrepresented, the rise of She Grows Veg stands as a powerful example of what can happen when creativity, resilience and opportunity come together. It is a story not just about seeds and sales figures, but about cultivating change from the ground up.

For more information, visit www.shegrowsveg.com