This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. This week, we spoke to Mitch Mitchell, founder and managing director of TRUEfoods in Melmerby, near Ripon.

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.

TRUEfoods makes all kinds of stocks of all kinds – beef, chicken, lamb – all from 100% natural ingredients.

We buy almost everything locally from here in Yorkshire. The only things we have to bring in from elsewhere are tomatoes and peppercorns.

We also have a factory in Portland, Oregon, and our US business is growing fast.

What does it take to be successful in business?

Consistency. Stock is to a chef what a voice is to a singer: if you've got a bad one, you're going nowhere.

It's the basis for all good sauces, and it took me a while working with Heston Blumenthal to get the recipe right.

Once you've got the product right and you give good service at an acceptable price, that's what equals success.

It's worked for us – we supply Waitrose, Booths, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and lots of independent shops too.

What drives you to do what you do every day?

I used to be the personal chef of the King and Queen of Jordan, and I've cooked for prime ministers and rock stars. I've been blessed with a lot of good luck in life, and whenever it's introduced itself to me, I've grabbed it with both hands.

I set this company up 19 years ago, when I recognised that commercial kitchens were getting smaller as restaurants tried to fit more diners in.

There was also new legislation, which made it illegal to make stock overnight without a night porter. So lots of places stopped making their own stock, as it had become too expensive – and TRUEfoods filled the gap.

I like the team we employ – they do so much for us. I like to think I pay them well. People are very important to us.

I also own a café here on Barker Business Park, so I want to make sure that everybody on the park gets good, wholesome food.

What’s been the toughest issue your business has had to deal with over the last 12 months?

The government's changes to National Insurance and PAYE. That's been tough, because it's hit everybody, which affects the prices we pay, as well as the prices we charge.

Chefs are frugal. If the cost is too high, it gets passed on to the customer. But there's only so much the customer will take, so it's a fine balance.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

R&J Butchers in Kirkby Malzeard is a great butcher's, and they also rear their own animals.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

I love the work that Sir Gareth Southgate [who lives in the Washburn Valley] has been doing. I'm Scottish, but even I wanted England to win the last World Cup because of him.

He's come to the Chef's Table before, which was great. I really wanted to ask him loads of questions, but I had to hold myself back.

The Chef's Table is something I created seven years ago as a way to ensure all my chefs still had their culinary skills intact if they ever wanted to move back into the restaurant business.

It's a fine dining experience that we hold every Friday and Saturday, although we're currently closed till the end of the month. We can accommodate 10 guests, and we provide 14 or 15 courses, at about £300 a head. We use the money to sponsor local events and to fund the Roux Scholarship.

What could be done locally to boost business?

Reduced rates for independent businesses coming into the district. I fell in love with Harrogate more than 30 years ago and have lived here ever since. Yorkshire's home now, and I'm proud to live in Harrogate. But it's changed over the last 10 years, and a lot of independents have disappeared. They need all the help they can get.

Harrogate also needs a great high-end restaurant, but they just don't seem to survive. That's why Chef's Table only runs twice a week.

Best and worst things about running a business from Melmerby?

The landlord is great. Suzanne Barker has been very accommodating of the changes I've wanted to make, and has even given us the land for the garden where we grow produce. We've also got water from a borehole, which is a great bonus from a marketing point of view.

I honestly can't think of a worst thing. The location, infrastructure and pool of employment are all great.

What are your business plans for the future?

More of the same. We're growing at around 20% a year, but I just want to keep my feet on the ground.

We have the same business in America. We employ 86 people here and 27 over there.

We've got a factory in Portland, Oregon, the accounts department is based in the Napa Valley, and my son drives the business from Las Vegas. As a result, I spend a week to 10 days of every month in the States, and I'd like to get a bit more time off.

What do you like to do in your time off?

I play golf off an 8 handicap, but ultimately, my family comes first.

Best places to eat and drink locally?

Tommy Banks does great things at the Black Swan in Oldstead, and at Roots in York. I'm really looking forward to him opening the General Tarleton [at Ferrensby] up again.