Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars: Manchester contestant Steph Buttery enjoying success after being runner-up

The Manchester entrepreneur who was a runner up on Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars may not have won the TV show - but she has certainly been enjoying success in the month since the show was on the nation’s television screens.

Steph Buttery, who founded soft drinks concern Chu Lo, got all the way to the final episode of the BBC One programme but lost out on the £150,000 investment from the infamous chef and presenter to Victoria Omobuwajo.

However, not scooping the first prize on the show has hindered Steph several weeks on from her appearances on the small screen.

She has secured major investment for Chu Lo and has also seen sales rocket off the back of her TV exposure.

What has happened to Steph Buttery since she was on Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars?

Since making it to the final episode of the programme Steph has secured a six figure investment thanks to a funding round in which a fan of the show even contacted her to provide a donation.

Chu Lo, which sells a range of alcohol-free sour fruit drinks, has also increased its website sales by over 500% in the 30 days since the last episode aired.

The company’s Amazon store sold more than £5,000 in just one week and was listed as one of the top 100 sodas on the site. In addition, Chu Lo has secured major listings with top high street stores, major names in the food and drinks industry and more than 100 independent shops across the UK.

In the final of the TV show the remaining food and drink entrepreneurs were set individual tasks by the notoriously fiery Michelin-starred chef and TV presenter to improve their businesses, with Steph being given a challenge based around social media.

That has since paid off, with Chu Lo’s TikTok channel growing by a huge 1200% while the Instagram following has shot up by 200%.

Chu Lo has also increased the size of its team from two staff members to six to handle the sudden spike in growth.

The firm was one of 24 concerns invited to Paris to showcase the industry at the Best of British Brands show.

If you haven’t seen Steph battle her way through the programme against a field of other determined up-and-coming businesspeople, you can watch all eight episodes of the show on BBC iPlayer here.

What has Steph said?

Steph said: “Future Food Stars was a brilliant experience, but as with many runners up before me, across competition TV shows, it’s not always a bad thing to come in the top three.

“The response from consumers and distributors following the show has been incredible and we continue to grow each week across every aspect of the business.

“We have big plans for Chu Lo over the next year so it may not be just our cans leaving a sour taste with Gordon.”