Worthing bakery goes from brink of collapse to booming sales with bold business move

Raise Bakery, based at the Timberlaine Trading Estate in Decoy Road, Worthing, saw the overnight collapse of their wholesale bakery business, which predominantly supported the airline industry, following the government imposed lockdown from Covid-19.

As a result, the family-run artisan bakery shut up shop and furloughed the team before realising the opportunity to sell flour and other baking ingredients direct to consumers from their website.

Now, the business has sold 10 tons of flour online and is on target to have one of its busiest months on record.

Owner Jeremy Jacobs said: "What started as a way to help out friends and people in the community has turned into a viable new business.

"We've been quite overwhelmed with the demand! We've had to employ quickly whilst implementing new health and safety measures to ensure the wellbeing of the team and their loved ones.

"They have been fantastic, and we've pulled together to ship 250 orders a day."

Raise Bakery began in the kitchen of Jeremy's mum Lindsay in 2009 before moving into the production facility in Worthing. It was manned by a team of four bakers before the lockdown and its customers included Virgin Atlantic, No1 Lounges, Netto, British Airways and Qatar Airways.

Jeremy decided to reopen the bakery in week two of the lockdown, which began on March 23, to supply cakes to NHS frontline staff and carers. It proved popular, with deliveries being sent to care homes and hospitals across Sussex.

Following a request on Facebook for flour, Jeremy had his lightbulb moment, building their website in 24 hours and devising a way to make it work in practice overnight.

Now, Raise has been able to provide temporary work and paid the living wage to 10 people who had recently lost their jobs.

Raise Bakery has also partnered with Pay It Forward Direct in Brighton and Hove, which provide over 5,000 meals a week to the homeless, vulnerable, NHS frontline workers and food banks, to provide their desserts.

Jeremy said: "It's been wonderful to be able to give back to the community by donating food to local community kitchens, food banks and NHS frontline staff.”