WCC business support clears the way to growth for Bake180

"The support we received from the county council's Survive, Sustain & Grow programme was a huge help."

A popular coffee shop is cosier than ever for its customers and set to recruit more staff after benefiting from a local business support programme. 

Bake180 has been serving customers for more than a decade in the elegant setting of Middleton Hall on the northern edge of Warwickshire.

What began in 2009 as a hobby for Sarah Exall, with her lifelong passion for baking, soon turned into a thriving business. It moved into Middleton Hall in 2011 and has since grown to employ eight people.  

Like all small businesses in the hospitality sector, it took a jolt during the pandemic when lockdowns forced it to close. But it pivoted enterprisingly as a delivery service of afternoon teas or other treats brightened up many a day for locked-down customers.

Just one longstanding obstacle remained to prevent the business from fulfilling its full potential. Due to a large front window in the converted barn premises, that part of the room was, to say the least, less than snug in the winter.

That obstacle has now been removed thanks to advice and  a grant from Warwickshire County Council's Survive, Sustain & Grow programme.

"During lockdown we had to close our doors, but we quickly learned that there was a big market for deliveries," said Sarah. "People who couldn't get together for important dates like weddings and birthdays really enjoyed having something special delivered to them. We were really busy and that made us think about what we needed to do to take the business forward and keep it growing.

"The support we received from the county council's Survive, Sustain & Grow programme was a huge help. Our advisor, Andy Woodward, talked us through where the business is now and where we wanted it to go and how to get there. It was really useful to get that outside perspective from an expert. 

"Andy also smoothed the way for us to get funding towards the vital structural work we needed. We are in an old barn and the front window was big and single-glazed and however much we tried with a log-burner and heater it was impossible to keep that part of the room warm on a really cold day.

"The SSG grant helped us replace that window, so the cafe is now much cosier and that will benefit the business for years to come. That's great news for our customers and our staff and, having made that improvement, we will create another one and a half full-time jobs soon."

The Survive, Sustain and Grow programme, now closed, was a £700,000 programme created by Warwickshire County Council to assist businesses micro and small enterprises in the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors with their post COVID-19 recovery plans. It supported 243 businesses employing 790 people, helped safeguard 472 jobs that were at risk, and is forecasted to create more than 140 new jobs.

WCC Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place, Cllr Kam Kaur, said: "I am delighted that support from the Survive, Sustain & Grow programme has enabled Bake180 to create jobs and make improvements that will have benefits far into the future.

"The jobs safeguarded and forecasted creation in Warwickshire as a direct result of the Survive Sustain and Grow programme exceeded all our expectations, and we are delighted to see that so many businesses and their employees benefited."