General manager Josh Hale, pictured, says Quella bikes are affordable and lightweight rides. 
When leading publication Cycling Weekly reviewed urban bike brand Quella’s latest offering last year as “more than just an able commuter, it’s a force for good”, it proved another product innovation win for owner and entrepreneur Daniel O’Neill.
“Getting people off the road and onto a bike has to be a force for good,” O’Neill tells Yahoo Finance UK. “A bit like food, it’s not just eating it, sharing with friends is such a lovely thing and being on a bike is such a healthier way to start your day.”
Perhaps the reason for the food analogy is the fact that O’Neill co-founded ProCook with his mother and brother in 1996 and later, as CEO, turned it into a multi-million pound brand and the UK’s leading cookware and kitchenware specialist.
O’Neill is now aiming for Quella to make inroads into the uber competitive UK cycling market with “the world’s best commuter bike”.
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He says: “In the same way people think about buying cookware or knives, for most people ProCook is probably on your list and so we want to replicate that for the commuter bike.”
Quella originally started out in Cambridge at a disused chicken shed in 2012 by a cycling enthusiast looking to build single-speed bicycles (low maintenance with a one gear ratio) and “fixie” bikes (where the pedals spin together with the rear wheel) for university students.
Quella built up a niche fanbase before O’Neill and business partner Mike Mellor invested into the small firm in 2016. The duo later bought out the founder, became main shareholders and moved production to a large workshop in Gloucestershire.
The brand invested more than £500,000 into research, development and premises, meaning every bike is fully built in the UK. Quella says it has sold more than 15,000 bikes but plans to double this in the next five years.
Quella has sold more than 15,000 bikes but plans to double this in the next five years.
Like a plethora of cycling businesses, Quella saw a huge uptick and doubled turnover during COVID. “The trough at the other side was quite painful for the industry,” says O’Neill, with many other businesses suffering a surplus of stock.
In 2024, O’Neill took a step back from ProCook as CEO when Quella transitioned into a B2C brand and a customisable service to clients for its aesthetically-pleasing bikes.
General manager Josh Hale started in April last year, hailing from a finance background analysing companies and markets. Having commuted by bike in Leeds and London, he is now aiming to improve systems and logistics at Quella.
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Story continues
He also hits the company’s mid-twenties demographic but says Quella is a “brand for all and we want to appeal to everybody”.
Indeed, O’Neill commutes 45 minutes on his ride to work. “There is something really pure about riding a single speed bike and it is very rewarding and enjoyable,” he adds.
For its e-bike product, which weighs 14.4kg, Quella uses an “all-in-one” hub combining the battery and motor all housed in one unit in the rear wheel. The launch of its geared commuter bike last year yielded growth of 30% year-on-year, while the Cycle to Work scheme saw no change to its financial cap in the 2025 budget.
Quella’s owner Daniel O’Neill founded ProCook 30 years ago and now has over 70 stores. · Sam Stephenson
This spring, Quella will open its first test centre in Shoreditch, London as it aims to interact with its male and female consumers.
O’Neill and fellow entrepreneur Mellor, who both have a passion for cycling, have known each other since 1990. Mellor found success designing and supplying commercial kitchens and fitouts to some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry.
“He is such a great ambassador for the brand [Quella] and super strong at personable skills,” O’Neill says of Mellor.“There aren’t many people who have got two amazing mentors to build a brand and company,” adds Hale of Quella’s owners.
ProCook originally started as a mail order business with software specialist O’Neill writing the programme to develop the orders. The British B Corp cookware retailer has more than 70 retail shops, while the family still retains almost 70% equity.
O’Neill says he saw plenty of advantages from his days at the helm of ProCook to bring to Quella, which has five full-time staff, to a consumer market.
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“As a brand owner it’s your ability to control everything, for example quality of components and pricing. There are so many advantages for being direct to consumer, having a co-ordinated launch and not relying on retailers.”
The business is currently seeing revenues up to £1m but plans to double its total bike sales.
The brand has superfans globally from Portugal to South Africa, but making a dent into the estimated £1.6bn UK cycling market would, adds Hale, be “a great stage one for Quella”.
How to grow a brand
Get the offering right with the right suppliers, infrastructure and people. Burning cash was never our ambition, it was to get the model right and ramp up from there.
Daniel O’Neill founded British B Corp cookware retailer ProCook
Leadership
My mother ran a children’s home when I was aged three through to 14. I didn’t think about it at the time but I learned a lot about people and what makes people tick.
When we started ProCook, without the support of the team you are floundering all the time. You have to grow a good business.
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