If you’ve been to one of the monthly Chamber Breakfasts over the last four years, you’ll have heard of this keynote speaker even if you don’t know his surname.
Bill Collison is the founder of Bill’s, which now has more than 45 restaurants across the country. And that includes one in Brighton, where we have our networking breakfasts.
When he was just 21, he opened a small greengrocery in his hometown of Lewes. In 2000, Bill’s shop was among 600 properties that flooded when the River Ouse burst its banks. It reopened months later as Bill’s Café & Produce Store, a colourful and vibrant celebration of seasonal fruit and veg.
The café was an immediate success locally and soon people were travelling to eat and shop at Bill’s.
Nowadays, Bill is still involved with the overall direction of the business as well as overseeing the interior and exterior appearance of every restaurant.
With a farming background, Bill Collison was always used to working anti-social hours. His family owned a fruit farm and as a schoolboy he also spent his summers picking fruit in Kent. Bill says he’s picked just about every fruit and every vegetable out there. Small wonder he became obsessed with them.
Bill will talk about growing up locally, his mum’s amazing home cooking and how it all led to the birth and growth of Bill’s. He’ll look forward to the next chapter of the business and reveal what it’s like to be a part of the 24/7 hospitality industry.
