Leeds Trinity University student turns dream business into a reality at Trinity Kitchen
A final year student from Leeds Trinity University is currently in residence at Trinity Kitchen with his newly launched business We are Glory – a street food social enterprise with a difference.
Danny Martin, a 34 year-old English and Writing student from Bradford, set up We are Glory as a social enterprise business that would support, finance and train people who have battled life-controlling issues.
We are Glory was inspired by Danny’s passion for business development, creativity and his desire to help and inspire young people who have gone through battles with drugs and alcohol. Danny has always had the aspiration to set up the business, but didn’t have the time to dedicate to it while studying full-time for a degree.
However, all final year English students at Leeds Trinity are offered the opportunity to complete a Professional Development module, which assesses students on how they apply the knowledge and skills they’ve developed in the workplace. Danny saw the module as an opportunity to take his idea to the next level, and used his assessment to orchestrate We are Glory’s launch and arrival in Trinity Kitchen. Throughout the module, Danny attended workshops and mentoring sessions at the University which helped him create the business plan that has turned We are Glory into a reality.
Danny commented:
“We have done amazingly, better than I could have wished and dreamed. I pride Glory on using quality, local ingredients and bringing creativity to the standard burger bar. The burger chains of the USA inspired me to bring together such a creative menu. The public are keen to know where the frosted fries invention came from – a friend of mine loves dipping his fries into a McFlurry, this is my slightly refined version of that and it surprisingly works. I love hearing customer’s reactions!
“Leeds Trinity University has supported me in my ambition to flex my entrepreneurial skills and bring my business idea for We are Glory to life which has in effect become a spring-board for my future.”
We are Glory offers diner’s adventurous fast food blends, including frosted fries and marshmallow burgers. The street food social enterprise, which donates 20 per cent of its profits to Bradford Family Support Network and Teen Challenge UK, will be housed in Trinity Kitchen for a further four weeks and is currently selling in the region of 50 to 150 meals per day. The majority of produce is locally sourced, including brioche buns from Fosters bakers in South Yorkshire, beef patties from Bennetts Butchers in Leeds Market and scotch bonnet chillies from a South African grocer in Leeds Kirkgate Market. The success of We are Glory at Trinity Kitchen has inspired Danny to take the concept on the road to a number of food festivals this summer.
Dr Richard Storer, Associate Principal Lecturer in English at Leeds Trinity University and Danny’s Supervisor, commented:
“Danny brought a lot of creativity and commitment to this project. He also made very good use of the research and time-management skills he had developed while studying for his English and Writing degree. As part of the academic side of the module he had to write a detailed report and give a presentation to the other students on what he was aiming to achieve through this social enterprise project. Everyone was very impressed, both by the project and by the way he had thought carefully about every aspect of it.”
