LDC Top 50 2025
Peter Ellse
Co-Founder and CEO
Cosy Direct
Peter Ellse came up with the idea for Cosy Direct while wrangling with his children at a “horrible soft play”. Having already built and sold education supplier TTS Group, he spotted an opportunity to create nature-inspired learning spaces: “I wanted to build something that’s craft based and gets kids outdoors.”
The Staffordshire-based company now supplies more than 6,000 imaginative, affordable, eco-friendly resources to schools and nurseries in 46 countries, and received a King’s Award for International Trade this year. Peter also donates 10 per cent of profits to grassroots charities and owns a farm and campsite in the Peak District, home to local charity Derby Kids’ Camp.
It’s all about having a positive impact. The karma that comes back from helping others is unbelievable.”
Q&A
How do you build loyalty with your suppliers?
We have 300 suppliers, 40 of whom work exclusively with us. I never asked them to be exclusive, I just backed them. I give them ideas, lend money, pay early and help manage growth. Many are small, fast-growing teams that can burn out without support. We even share our HR systems and CAD designs. I see myself as being at their service, not the other way round. That way, they get stability and I get loyalty. If our sales dip, I still keep their orders level.
What’s your approach to hiring people?
I’ve created a business that fits around people’s lives. We’ve got 30 part-time mums and carers working 9:30 to 2:30 during term time – and they’re amongst our highest performers. We also employ prisoners on day release and ex-offenders, early retirees, young apprentices and neurodivergent adults from a local college. It’s a real mix. The oldest team member is 76, and we’ve got 10 apprentices aged 16 to 25. We aim for 10 per cent representation from each group. It feels like a multi-generational family, not a company.
What kind of culture are you trying to build at Cosy?
At our HQ, we’ve got three micro goats, 180,000 bees and three trained beekeepers on the team. People bring their dogs to work because dog care is as expensive as childcare. I want to make life easier, not harder, and build workplaces people don’t just visit – they stick around. We chase the pub stories – those unexpected little moments that make you grin. I believe in a dash of maverick management – just offbeat enough to make people think, ‘Well, that’s different.’
