The UK’s only fully electric-powered gardening business has been able to make new hires and grow its business operations after accessing support from Business Gateway.

The Cycling Gardeners of Edinburgh, which offers a complete garden maintenance service delivered on cargo bikes by a team of independent gardeners, was founded in 2023 by Callum Ross, who wanted to combine his talent for gardening with his desire to be more sustainable.

Callum, who previously worked as an Operations Manager in the events industry, was keen to reinvent the way gardeners operate in Scotland’s capital city.

The business uses cargo bikes to travel and to transport materials and exclusively uses electric power tools. While the tools are more expensive than traditional petrol-powered tools, they are more sustainable, which chimes with the overall principle of the business. As well as its team of freelance gardeners, who are largely experienced horticulturalists, The Cycling Gardeners of Edinburgh is also hoping to employ young gardeners who may be new to the trade but who may not have their driving licence.

The team has worked with local organisations Spokes, Sustrans, and the Cargobike Movement to increase their knowledge of cargo bikes.

Looking for some inspiration on growing his business, Callum attended a Business Gateway-run Meet the Investors session where he was able to rehearse pitching his business and find out about the work Business Gateway does. It was this that inspired him to contact Business Gateway, and through that he met his adviser Jeff Hume.

Business Gateway has supported The Cycling Gardeners of Edinburgh in a number of ways, including helping them to employ an Operations Manager using Edinburgh's Employer Recruitment Incentives (EERI) Scheme, using the research service to identify possible collaborations and improving their use of social media.

Callum Ross, Founder of The Cycling Gardeners of Edinburgh said:

“I’ve found that having a personal contact in Jeff has been so helpful, and I’m safe in the knowledge that he can give us solid advice. Business Gateway has also supported us in applying for grant funding which has been so helpful to help keep our operations afloat."

“As a new business, it’s invaluable to have the support of Business Gateway and to know that they’re on the other end of a phone if you need.”

Jeff Hume, Business Gateway adviser said:

“It has been fantastic to support Callum and the team to create this unique idea and watch it come to life. They’ve been able to determine a great niche for their company and it’ll be wonderful to see it bloom into something even more special.”