Earlier this year, Kate Middleton’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, made headlines after their Party Pieces business went bankrupt and left many creditors holding the bill. Now, Kate’s younger brother, James, seems to be having challenging financial times with his dog food company, Ella & Co.
The freeze-dried organic dog food was launched in May 2020 and saw over $431,000 in sales, but by last year, the company was down to just $119,000 in assets. That’s a huge drop in business, but the high-end pet food might be a casualty of the cost-of-living crisis in the U.K. “I’m in a business that I love,” James told the Daily Mail while reassuring them that he’s not concerned about the current state of his company. Yet the entrepreneur doesn’t have the best history when it comes to running a business.
He originally started his career with a cake-making business that provided baking kits that would allow people to make bakery-style creations in their own home. He partnered up with his parents’ Party Pieces company for distribution, but the venture was short-lived and folded in 2015. He then moved on to Boomf, a personalized marshmallow and greeting card business (weird, right?), but the company bounced in and out of debt until it went into bankruptcy in 2021 while still owing his creditors over $1 million.
The Middletons have faced a string of bad luck when it comes to their businesses this year, and they’ve been criticized by anti-royalists for leaving so many business unpaid in the wake of their closure. James seems to still have faith in his dog food business, but unless profits turn around quickly, he may be facing another failed venture.
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