Two Foundation Degree in Bakery and Patisserie Technology graduates are enjoying the sweet taste of success after launching their first business together.
Abi Donaldson and Georgina Nixon began learning their craft on our Level 2 Diploma in Professional Bakery and continued studying together through our Level 3 Diploma and Foundation Degree, which they completed in 2021.
Both ran successful on-line cake businesses of their own while undergraduates, achieving considerable success throughout Covid-19 lockdown with their ranges of bespoke and everyday cakes. Now they have formed a partnership and achieved their dream goal of opening their own cake and coffee shop.
The friends launched The Northern Cakery Co in Chorley, Lancashire, in November and have already grown a loyal following of townsfolk, who enjoy popping for a brownie or tray bake.
At the moment Abi and Georgina are offering a counter service from Thursday to Sunday and are using the rest of the week to meet orders for personalised celebration cakes and boxed selections for pre-existing and new on-line customers. They have made the most of the festive period by making popular Christmas treats, cup cake wreaths and reindeer decorated cakes and are planning forward to Valentine’s Day and Easter.
Launching a business as joint partners has proved a successful strategy, as Abi and Georgina find it useful to discuss future projects together and were also both very involved in the design and build of their shop furniture. They attribute their creative skills and business knowledge to their four years of study at Reaseheath and also to the support they received from their lecturers and from our Business Hub team, who set up a meeting with a business advisor.
Abi says: “Looking back we’ve achieved such a lot in a short space of time. We’ve loved the independence of creating a business which we both enjoy, and the buzz and satisfaction of seeing it grow. A lot has been due to the knowledge and skills we gained at college and university, which gave us the confidence to take the project forward.”
Georgina adds: “As well as learning new baking and cake decorating techniques on each course, we also gained a good understanding of how to run a business, which has been very beneficial. The hygiene and health and safety courses we took while at college have been a real help, as have the advice on business registration, administration and marketing.”
See more: @TheNorthernCakeryCo (Instagram and Facebook)
