PROFILE
PROFILE:
The Cornish Bakery Steve Grocutt, FOUNDER
A comp a ny b orn on the ha rb ourside in M eva g i s s ey i n Cornwall is pow eri ng i ts w a y out of the COVID p a nd emi c , meeti ng consta nt challeng es hea d -on w i th op p ortunities. L ed by found er Steve Grocutt, after a yea r l i k e no other, sa les a t The Corni s h B a kery a re i n impressive doub l e-d i g i t g row th a s the ‘ind ependent c ha i n’ p repa res to take over £ 2 0 mi l l i on throug h i ts tills in 48 UK -w i d e l oc a ti ons , a nd meet a ta rg et of ten new op eni ng s across the UK i n 2 0 2 1 / 2 2 . O riginally a p rop erty d evel op er, Steve Grocutt found ed the c omp a ny s eizing a new-found op p ortuni ty to ad d a uniq ue c ontemp ora ry twist to the cla s s i c , a nd c ul t-l oved , Cornish p a sty . E xp eri menti ng w i th previously unh ea rd -of fl a vours i n tra d itional p a s ty c a s i ng s , d ema nd s oared and sw i ft, b ut c a reful , ex p a nsion follo w ed . W i th a vi ta l s witch of focus from onl y p a s ti es to a full ba kery prop os i ti on, a mul ti awa rd -winning reb ra nd to The Cornish Ba kery fuel l ed exp l os i ve potential acros s the p rod uc t portfolio, with ma tc hi ng s a l es growth a nd sig ni fi c a nt returns . O n an ongoi ng b ra nd -b ui l d i ng journey , Steve ha s na i l ed a w a y of crea ting an em oti ona l c onnec ti on w ith the ‘Cornw a l l s ta te of mi nd ’ , w hether peop le ha ve ever b een there or not. Wi th c l os e to 50 ba keries acros s the U K , The C orni s h B akery is now fi rml y one of the country ’s lead i ng i nd ep end ent, hig h-end bake ri es . The numb er one p erformer i n a l l of i ts fa c tory outlet locations , w i th s oa ri ng c offee
s a l es ac r o s s th e c o u n tr y , al l o f i ts b a k e r i e s m ak i n g an d br e ak i n g a l ready h i gh tar ge ts e v e r y s i n gl e w eek o f 20 21 . Ne w bak e r i e s h av e j u s t o pe n e d i n C h i c h e s te r , L y m i n gto n an d D orch e s te r an d w i th i n th e n e x t s i x mon th s , n e w Co r n i s h B ak e r i e s w i l l a p p e ar o n m o r e s m ar t h i gh s tr e e ts a nd h ar bo u r s i de s – al l pr e s ti gi o u s l oc a ti o n s th at S te v e h as pr e c i s i o n ta rg e te d f o r th e br an d, w i th an ob je c ti v e o f do u bl i n g th e e s t ate u p to 1 0 0 br an c h e s w i th i n th e n e x t f i v e yea r s . A pr o pe r ty e n tr e pr e n e u r by p rofe s s i o n , S te v e i s o bs e s s i v e a b ou t ‘ tu r n i n g l e f t w h e n o t h e r s tu r n ri g ht’ an d o v e r th e l as t de c ade h e w a tch e d th e h i gh s tr e e t be c o m e more e x pe n s i v e an d c o m pe ti ti v e . W hi ls t o t h e r s f ai l e d o n s ai d h i gh s tree ts , S te v e go t i n h i s c ar an d d rov e ar o u n d al l o f th e c o u n tr y ’ s hol i day h o t s po ts , s po tti n g ‘ p os tc ar d’ l o c ati o n s w h e r e h e k new Th e Co r n i s h B ak e r y ’ s u n i qu e p ropo s i ti o n w o u l d w o r k – an d w o r k w el l . Ho w e v e r , h av i n g do u bl e d t h e s i ze o f th e c o m pan i e s w i th i n th e s e i d yl l i c l o c ati o n s , po s t pan de m i c , Steve i s tu r n i n g h i s gaz e to ‘ h i gh s tree ts ’ – bu t o n l y a s pe c i f i c k i n d of ‘ h i gh s tr e e t. ’ Of te n i n tr adi ti o n al ma rk e t to w n s an d c ath e dr al c i ti e s , r e c e n t o pe n i n gs ar e i n L ymi n gto n , Ch i c h e s te r , D o r c h e s te r , w i th B ake w e l l , Ry e an d Pl y m o u t h B a rb i c an to f o l l o w i n th e n e ar futur e . A n d al l h av e a n u m be r o f vi ta l e l e m e n ts i n c o m m o n : h i s to r i c al l oc a ti o n s , be au ti f u l bu i l di n gs , an d a regu l ar , y e ar -r o u n d h i gh -y i e l d footf al l , as w e l l as a s u m m e r bo o s t w hen th e to u r i s ts c o m e to t o w n . Th e s e l o c ati o n s w i l l dr i v e a new br e e d o f ‘ bak e r i e s ’ f o r S te v e a nd h i s te am , an d th e y w i l l al s o fuel a n e w e x pe r i e n ti al br an d
e v o l u ti o n , as w e l l as i n te r io r s ty lin g an d a m o r e h i gh -e n d m e n u o f f r e s h l y c o o k e d o pti o n s, a n d s ty lis h af te r n o o n te as , e l o n gatin g th e e x pe r i e n c e f o r n e w , an d y o u n g e r , tar ge t c u s to m e r s . S te v e r e f l e c ts , “ Th e p a n d e m ic m ay h av e c au s e d u s to ta k e a te m po r ar y pau s e f r o m th e f r o n tlin e bu s i n e s s , h o w e v e r , i t’ s a ctu a lly f u e l l e d o u r h u n ge r f o r d e te r m in e d gr o w th o f al l th e r i gh t k in ds , in al l th e r i gh t w ay s . W i th in o u r bak e r i e s , s al e s ar e i n s ig n if ica n t gr o w th , w i th l i k e -f o r -l i ke w a y u p c o m par e d to 20 1 9 an d th e s u m m e r o f 20 20 . Ou r e n h an c e d m e n u s ar e de l i v e r i n g e x tr e m e ly s tr o n g av e r age t r an s ac ti o n gro w th a n d w e ’ r e l e adi n g o u r i n dus tr y w ith o u r c o m m i tm e n t to l o w w a s te d u e to o u r i n n o v ati o n i n o ur ‘r e cy cle d ’ pr o du c ts . Ou r n e w m ai l o r d e r o pti o n al s o e l o n gate s th e y e ar a n d pr o v i de s o u r h o l i day c us to m e r s w ith a w ay to ge t th e i r ‘ Co r n is h B a ke r y ’ h i t at h o m e w h e n e v e r th e y w an t.” S te v e c o n ti n u e s , “ B a k e r y is m o s t de f i n i te l y th e n e w c o f f ee s h o p an d o u r c ar e f u l l y c r af te d b r a n d an d i n te r i o r de s i gn e v o lu tio n w ill c o n ti n u e to i n f o r m an d p io n e e r o u r h i gh -e n d pr o po s i ti o n a s w e g e t f u r th e r i n to th e 20 20 s . Th e e ve r di s c e r n i n g c u s to m e r i s co n tin u ally l o o k i n g f o r s o m e th i n g m o r e n ich e , th at pr o v i de s a u n i qu e e m o tio n a l e x pe r i e n c e an d s e n s o ry co n n e ctio n . A s Co r n w al l c o n ti n u e s to go f r o m s tr e n gth - to -s tr e n gth as th e pla ce to be , s o do w e . ” W i th s u bs tan ti al c as h f u n d s f o r f u tu r e e x pan s i o n and a s tu te pl an n i n g f o r th e r e i n v e s tm e n t f u n di n g, Co r n w al l i s s e t to h it e ve r y s po t-o n s ty l i s h h i gh s tr e e t a n d h o l i day l o c ati o n i n th e co m in g y e ar s . G r o c u tt c o n c l u de s , “Th e f u tu r e is br i gh t. Th e f u tu r e i s C o r n is h .”
