People’s Champion finalist 2017: Bakedin

Start-up name: Bakedin
Founders: Joseph Munns, Anna Bridgen and Elaina Mickelburgh
Started in: 2013
Based in: Basingstoke
Business description: Baking recipe box subscription service

Shortlisted category:

The Start Up Loans Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year

The Bakedin story:

We’ve all watched TV chefs and awed at how they manage to create a perfect meal with all the ingredients ready to hand.

Food entrepreneur Joseph Munns wanted to give consumers the same experience of TV chefs: giving budding cooks the opportunity to rustle something up with all the ingredients weighed out in perfect amounts.

Taking inspiration from the rising popularity of recipe boxes, in 2013 Munns and friends Anna Bridgen and Elaina Mickelburgh started Startups 100-featured Bakedin.

Bakedin specialises in baking kits which are delivered with the exact right quantities of ingredients so you still have the baking from scratch experience but with less hassle and no waste.

The business idea proved popular at food fairs and markets and it wasn’t long before the trio added a range of microwaveable mug baking mixes and its Baking Club subscription, which sends members a different baking kit designed by Michel Roux OBE (pictured right) every month.

In June 2015, after being invited to present his products at Downing Street, and with growing interest from high street retailers, Munns quit his day job to focus on Bakedin full-time.

Today, the 18-strong company operates from its own purpose-built factory and has products on shelves in over 250 UK stockists including Tesco, Ocado, Amazon, Scribbler, Topshop, Urban Outfitters and Booths. Through organic growth and word of mouth, its subscription base now features over 1,000 members and it is scaling internationally – exporting its range of products to Germany, Spain, Ireland, Malaysia and Singapore.

Capitalising on the popularity of gin and prosecco, Bakedin is launching a ‘Boozy Baking’ range this month while plans are also in the works to roll out a unique personalised celebration kit range to offer customers fully customisable cake kits.

Why Bakedin made our shortlist:

Thanks to programmes like The Great British Bake Off, home baking is on the rise; not just in the UK, but around the world. With a broad and quirky range of products and a growing subscription base, Bakedin is well placed to capitalise on this trend and already has plans to expand its international footprint with exports in Ireland, Scandinavia, the US and China.

Where to find out more about Bakedin:

Website: www.bakedin.co.uk
Twitter: @bakedincakes