A SMALL business owner has been dazzled by the community support she’s received since starting her sweet-treat company.
The Bake Box Cheshire opened in mid-September, supplying cakes and brownies to Winnington cafés and residents.
Entrepreneur Jess Chappell, 36, has been flooded with orders over the past few months, making the business her full-time occupation.
Jess hopes to open a shop in Winnington over the next 12 months, as she is currently baking from her kitchen at home.
She said: “I do want to have a bigger kitchen.
“When I started the business, I thought I was going to do two days a week from home, but it’s just sort of exploded.
“Even my customers say they can’t believe how quickly this has grown.
“I set myself a goal of supplying to five businesses by Christmas and I did that in three weeks.
“Initially, I thought it would take me six months to get to the stage I’m at now.”
When asked what her inspiration was, Jess said: “I have baked my entire life. With the blondies and brownies, so many people told me they were the best they have ever tried.
One of Jess’ brownies (Image: @thecontentnerd)
“I’ve now got that as a bit of a cheeky logo: The Best You’ve Ever Had.”
Discussing her business aspirations, Jess said: “With everything I do, I make sure it can be scalable because I want to take on staff in the future.
“If it relies solely on me, I think it’s probably not the right product for my business.
“I want the things I make to be new and exciting, like my brand.”
To get into the Christmas spirit ahead of the big day, Jess added a festive brownie yule log to her menu.
She said: “I put it on my Instagram story, and it blew up. Within 48 hours I had taken 50 orders.
“On my social media I only have around 700 hundred followers but they’re all local people and really engaged.
Jess’ blondies are a popular choice (Image: @thecontentnerd) “I was very busy in the weeks leading up to Christmas, making lots of yule logs.”
In Northwich town centre, Jess supplies to Poppy Rose Tea Rooms, Goblin Coffee & Beer and Bea’s Place – a play café for children under six.
Jess said: “They are all independent businesses as well, so it’s nice to build relationships.
“I feel really supported by them.”
She previously had a successful online artwork business that was heavily affected by Brexit rule changes.
“Through starting the new business, I have found myself again.”
To find out more visit: instagram.com/thebakeboxcheshire/