Rising to task of working from home in Leeds

Greg Fraser, is hoping that he can make The Bottled Baking Co a viable venture rather than having to go back to his day job at a mortgage company once his period of paternity leave comes to an end.

And, after being given backing by Dragon’s Den businessman Theo Paphitis, with a Small Business Sunday retweet, the baking business is rising to the challenge of the market place.

After being disappointed by over-priced, off the shelf supermarket baking mixes, he has created a variety of hand-crafted cake mixes, packaged in individual glass bottles, complete with decorative and edible toppings which have gone down a treat with the sweet-toothed public of Leeds.

Greg, from east Leeds, said: “I trialled selling the bottles at Kirkstall Market and sold what I expected to sell across two days within the first two hours. I was then contacted by Pride and Produce, a deli local to me, who initially placed an order for 30 bottles. I delivered them at 8.30am one Saturday and by 12pm they’d ordered another 20, and by 4pm another 20 again.”

The Bottled Baking Co. currently has four ‘core’ mixes along with seasonal favourites, including a gluten-free Mini Egg Brownie mix and a Hot Cross Cake mix. 

More recipes are planned for the coming months and Greg is hoping to get his product in delis and shops across Yorkshire and beyond.

He added: “I am at the point where I need to decide what to do with it. If I can get more shops and delis I could maybe do it full time, turn the garage into a kitchen and walk outside and be at work rather than an hour and a half commute.”