A Liverpool firm that distributes plant-based and plastic-free packaging has secured a £100,000 investment via MSIF. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool firm Green Bell Packaging has secured a £100,000 investment as it looks to expand its range of plant based and plastic free packaging.

Founded in 2018 by M Vahid Nagori and Thibault Denis, Green Bell Packaging is a distributor of environmentally safe and affordable packaging. Its product range includes paper bags, jute bags, biobags, bio mailing bags designed for business and consumer use.

All the products are eco-friendly and home compostable. After introducing the first completely plant-based mailing bag to the UK market during lockdown in 2020, it has launched the BioBag.

In February, the business failed to win investment from the panel of tycoons on the BBC reality show, Dragons’ Den. However, it has now secured £100,000 from NPIF – BFS & MSIF Microfinance, managed by MSIF in partnership with GC Business Finance as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

M Vahid Nagori said: “Protecting the planet is a key ethos of the business and a pillar from which it was built and founded. Plastic waste is among one of the biggest contributors to the deterioration of our land and marine life, with 79% of it ending up in the ocean or in landfills.

“It’s a really exciting time for us as a business. The company is expanding rapidly and in the last 12 months we have experienced a growth in sales.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project, which is designed to boost SME growth in the North of England, is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

Sue Chambers, MSIF investment manager, added: “It has been great working with Vahid. He is passionate about reducing the use of single-use plastics and Green Bell’s biobag products are a game changer and have huge potential for a large number of different uses. I look forward to seeing continued growth over the coming years.”