Couple Michael and Xochi Birch started Bebo way back in 2005. They sold it to AOL in 2008 for $850 million. Bebo quickly declined under its new owners and they later bought it back for $1 million. They have opened a new business in Woolsery, Devon. It is the second enterprise that they have assumed after purchasing the Farmers Arms Pub and Manor House in the same village in October of last year, with plans of restoring the dilapidated building to their former glory.
This business that the BEBO founders had recently opened was the village fish and chip shop. It was reopened in June after some revamping. Mr. Birch, who has significant bonds with the village and considers the village as his "spiritual home" says it was a moment of madness. He stated, "It made me feel very English; being American one has to keep clinging onto these things."
He also added, "It was a relatively small project compared to the pub, but it is an important part of the village nonetheless.
He also said that good fish and chips are hard to find in Silicon Valley and he hopes to visit his fish and chip shop soon.
Jay Oyarzarbal, the manager of the Woolsery Fish and Chip Shop said that everything is made in-house, using sustainable fish and local meat as the main ingredients. The manager quoted, "We've had a really good response so far and we're happy to be here."
BEBO, a backcronym for "Blog Early, Blog Ofter" was initially launched as a networking site by the couple in 2005. Before it was sold to AOL, it surpassed Myspace and was the most widely used social networking app in the UK. It did not do well under its new Management. In 2014, it relaunched as a company that makes social apps with its newest chat app available for both iOS and Android.
