Co-owners Candice and Oliver Bannister with BAKO Sales Manager, Nadia
All articlesFor this edition, we head to the innovative Candy’s Cupcakes. Based in Ashton-under-Lyne, but fulfilling orders nationwide via e-commerce. Keep reading to find out more about their rise to success and the unique benefits and challenges selling predominantly online can bring.
Meet the Bakers spoke with Candice Bannister, co-owner of Candy’s Cupcakes to find out more
CB: I worked within social housing for 11 years after finishing university, and then, after I had my first child in 2010, I decided to start baking cupcakes. This was more of a hobby at first, but then I started to sell to friends and family. Within a year I’d built up an audience on my Facebook page and orders started to come in. I set up as a sole trader, running the business from home with the support of my husband, Oliver, as chief washer-upper! In 2014, I went back to my job, after having my second child; trying to run the cupcake business alongside, but it was extremely hard, working all hours to keep up with demand. The online cupcake business grew as word began to spread, so I made the decision to leave my job and run my business full-time. It was a big step obviously, because it had just been my little side-hustle, and now it had become my main income.
I started to build up my following on Instagram and YouTube. I had always had an ambition to sell cakes nationwide and at this point, I had a good local base but to expand and grow I needed to extend my reach. I achieved this through digital marketing and social media. My husband built my e-commerce website, and with his support we managed to rank highly on Google and started to receive orders from big businesses and some celebrities. During this period there was a lot of trial and error, testing out different boxes, packaging, and couriers. It was a lengthy process.
CB: In 2019, I employed my first staff member, and I moved out of my home kitchen into a separate premises, but then COVID hit in 2020, and I thought that the business was going to come to an end. It didn't and instead it went crazy as everyone was ordering cakes and gifts online, because people still wanted to celebrate.
One of the products we already had on the website before COVID was a cake in a box. Four slices of freshly made cake, to fit in a letter box. Perfect for the time and during lockdown; our customers went mad for them!
By the end of 2020 , we had seven staff, and in March 2022 we moved to a much bigger, 2,600 square foot premises. Today we are shipping hundreds of cakes daily, and we are working with house-hold name brands and businesses. The company is going from strength to strength.
CB: Recruitment is an issue for us. People either don’t show up for interviews or they don’t have the right qualifications for the position they are applying for.
Increasing costs, utilities, ingredients, and shipping rates are also ongoing issues. I ship nationwide, so the cost of couriers has also significantly increased and affected us.
CB: I think there will continue to be increased expansion of small specialist bakeries, particularly in town and city centres, and more artisan bakeries.
I also think there will more online offerings, similar to ours, and an increase in social media activity. For bakers who keep up with the latest product trends, there are many opportunities.
CB: Social media is a key driver for our business.
Many bakers are happy having a local shop, as they want to serve local people and get to know their customers and be part of the community.
For me, I wanted to reach a much bigger audience, and the only way to do that these days is with a good website and a regular engaging social media presence.
We keep up with trends and we adapt our content for the range of social media platforms we use. When you have a customer, and if you're engaging with them regularly on social media, it is like having someone that's on your doorstep.
We also do a Tik Tok shop, and every day we go live where people can order from us. I've been doing that as much as I can when I'm available, but we've just recruited two people to start working on this full time, as it is doing so well.
CB: I would say our free-from products set us apart, as not many of our competitors offer this. Our best-selling products are our cupcakes. We do a pick and mix box, where people can choose what toppings they want on their cakes, and there's so much choice, these are really popular. The cake in a box and our cookies, are also fantastic sellers.
MTB: What advice would you give to aspiring bakers starting out today? CB: Do your research. Look at what is trending and what's not. Look at your cash flow and make sure you price accurately, don’t under-estimate your worth.
It’s hard work... for me I left my nine to five job to do a 24/7 job! But, if it’s your passion, go for it!
CB: The partnerships is an extremely positive one. I like the information we get from BAKO and always enjoy reading the magazines.
BAKO has really helped us on our journey, they were the only supplier willing to come and deliver to us when we were based at home, when others wouldn’t.
Our BAKO rep is great, they can sort any problems we have and look at pricing and new product lines. Right now, we’re looking forward to the new filled cookies and of course the free-from products that have been so popular for us.
The Candy’s team hard at work baking, finishing & packaging delicious treats for home delivery
The Candy’s Cupcakes Team outside their base of operations with visiting BAKO Sales Manager, Nadia and BAKO Marketing Executive, Peter
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