Copyright manchestereveningnews
Viral brand SpudBros have defended themselves after a row erupted with another jacket potato vendor over their name. Brothers Harley and Jacob Nelson found fame with their spud empire, which began in an old tram carriage in Preston, after sharing videos of their creations on TikTok . The Lancashire pair have over four million followers on the platform alone and have opened shops in central London and Liverpool. They have now become embroiled in a war of words with The Spud Father, which opened at a unit in the southern coastal city of Portsmouth last month. Join our Manchester Food and Drink WhatsApp group HERE They claim they have been 'threatened with legal action' by SpudBros over the use of the name, which SpudBros have trademarked. "After months of graft — long days, late nights, and putting everything we have into The Spud Father — we’ve now been threatened with legal action from Spudbros over the use of our name," they said in a statement on their Facebook page. "They’ve trademarked several potato-related words and are now trying to stop us from using 'The Spud Father.' "It’s gutting. We’ve poured our heart and soul into this — from the name, to the menu, to every bit of branding and hard work behind the scenes. This isn’t just a business to us — it’s something we’ve built with pride, passion, and community spirit. "To suddenly face the threat of losing it because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around… it’s hard to put into words how disheartening that feels. The stress and worry have taken a real toll — mentally and emotionally." "Thank you to every single person who’s stood by us, sent messages, and kept us going through this," they added. "Your support means the world." However, SpudBros have denied threatening to sue the small business and said they 'haven’t tried to shut anyone down.' They said they did trademark the 'Spudfather' - the name of a dish they created in honour of their dad - but said there had been a 'huge misunderstanding' which had now resulted in threats to their family. "There are rumours flying around that we’ve sued a small business called The Spudfather, or that we’re trying to ruin someone’s livelihood. We are not suing anyone. Not now. Not ever," they said in a lengthy post on their social media channels. "When we opened SpudBros Express last year, we launched a dish called The Spudfather named after our dad. He’s been peeling potatoes, running the tram, and supporting us since day one. He’s the reason we’re on this incredible journey. That name means a lot to our family. It became our number one seller. It became part of who we are. "As we grew, we developed merch, franchises expanded and had discussions with major retailers. We therefore trademarked The Spudfather to protect it. In June, we paid for it, filed it, and it was approved and registered in September before any other business applied for the same name. "Trademarks exist to prevent confusion and protect brands and honestly, every business should do a simple trademark search before launching. If that had been done here, none of this would have happened." "After our trademark was granted, a brand-new business opened using the same name," the SpudBros statement continued. "They filed their own trademark and the Intellectual Property Office notified our partners and legal team. Our lawyers responded, as they are required to do. "To be absolutely clear, there is no lawsuit, no court case, just a standard legal reply to protect something that belongs to our business and our dad’s legacy. We haven’t tried to shut anyone down. We love seeing small food businesses thrive, we were one, and in many ways we still are. "We wish this hadn’t gone online before we’d even had a chance to speak to one another, resolve this or get a response from the IPO. "There's been huge misunderstanding, and suddenly we were dealing with threats towards my three-year-old daughter and people saying they would vandalise the tram." SpudBros said they had trademarked other names linked to their business as they looked to expand further. They said they had now reached out to The Spud Father to discuss the issue directly. "We’re building something bigger now with partners who rely on us to protect the SpudBros identity," they said. "We’ve trademarked other things like Tram Sauce, because we want to take this dream further into supermarkets and beyond (not how we planned to announce that). Other trademarks can be found online. "We are still the same family business, just with bigger ambition building a global brand and these are the things that need to happen. And look, if you run a business, please always check trademarks first. It protects you too. "I’ve now reached out privately to The Spud Father, which in hindsight, I wish I had done before. We would never want anyone to feel attacked. That’s not who we are and it’s not cool. "The internet can be painfully hateful, but we will keep doing what we’ve always done: work hard, stay positive and put good energy into everything we do. Thank you for always supporting us and supporting our family. "And please always support your local spud seller too. There is room for everyone to succeed."
