Four school friends spent lockdown transforming a horse trailer and are now a huge success with their business
During the lockdown, four mates took the boredom of the ‘pause-button world’ into their own hands by making an utterly off-the-wall purchase: a horse trailer. Jamie Morrall, Ben Lyth, and the Barker twins, Jacques and Beni, rolled up their sleeves to embark on an endeavour that kicked off over a Zoom call, eventually earning international online recognition.
These then-teenagers dived into the venture, turning the trailer inside out with their very own hands to birth a “pizza van”. Stripping it bare, they fitted it out with essentials like running water and working lights, along with two Gozney Roccboxes nifty mobile pizza ovens.
Dirty Donkey hit the roads in summer 2021, despite not being seasoned business moguls. They zipped around the Midlands throughout the season, scooping up a stellar reputation as they served up slices at various events from cosy corporate dos to grandiose weddings.
Come September, the lads kicked off university life and juggled side hustles, yet they clung to their commitment to keep their budding enterprise sailing. The real kicker came when TikTok catapulted Dirty Donkey into the limelight, making it a downright viral spectacle.
The Solihull squad quickly racked up millions of viewers and over 60,000 followers, while their “ambition and fire in the belly” caught the attention of Dragon’s Den tycoon Theo Paphitis, rocketing both their venture and themselves to fame as true entrepreneurs.
Having catered events such as the UK’s acclaimed Wilderness festival, where The Chemical Brothers bought out their entire stock, and hitting a record with 1,500 pizzas sold at a local Midlands festival, the team is on the move to expand. They have introduced an additional trailer and a car to their setup, following their university graduations.
Despite having job prospects in their respective fields of study, the pizza maestros plan to pursue the triumphs of Dirty Donkey. Taking to TikTok, the crew shared what drives them; the desire to weave tales that will one day inspire their children.
