73. The Yorkshire Meatball Co.

Founders: David and Gareth Atkinson
Founded: June 2013 (launched March 2014)
Website: www.theymco.com

Set up by father and son team David and Gareth Atkinson, The Yorkshire Meatball Co. (YMCO) was founded on a simple (but apparently well-researched) belief: that meatballs were invented in Yorkshire.

Claiming to be the UK’s first and only specialist meatball company, 2015 Startups 100-featured YMCO is on the frontline in “leading the fight against average, tasteless meatballs” from its flagship restaurant in Harrogate and second franchised-location in York. Inspired by the casual dining scene of foodie hotspot New York, the restaurants serve a range of meat, fish and veggie balls, made from locally sourced ingredients and all washed down with craft beers and ciders.

The company has clearly been a local hit – within four weeks of opening its doors it was nominated, and went on to win, a local tourism award. To add to its string of successes, YMCO also took home Restaurant Business of the Year at the 2015 Startups Awards.

And this is just the beginning for the two year old business. After securing a £130,000 crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube, YMCO is set to roll out a fully-fledged franchise model across the UK and (slightly later than planned) has secured talks with four of the major retailers to launch into more than 300 stores nationwide.