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We talk to the co-founders of BKRY - quite possibly the most creative bakery out there, with its gorgeous branding, in-house academy and beautifully decorated cakes.
Tell us a little about what you do and how BKRY came about?
We are a Bakery & Academy based in Caversham where we bake cakes and treats on site fresh every day to sell downstairs in our shop alongside takeaway hot drinks.
We have created a beautiful website where you can order celebration cakes and dessert catering to collect in store. And lastly, upstairs we have our Academy space where we host parties, workshops and courses in cake decorating.
BKRY came about when our founder Jo, outgrew her home bakery and wanted to combine her passion for baking and her experience as a primary school teacher. Education & creativity are at the core of everything we do, from training our bakers & baristas to recreate our tried and tested recipes to helping our Academy pupils to get more comfortable with a scraper and a piping bag!
Photo credit: Jade Brown Photography
What makes BKRY stand out from other concepts?
At BKRY, every aspect of our business is interconnected, allowing us to offer a more complete experience for our customers. A child might stop by for an after-school treat, then sign up for one of our holiday bento workshops. Mum may even purchase dad’s birthday cake through our website or pop by to pick up some cupcakes as a thank you to someone. After all, every celebration deserves cake, right?
Every detail, no matter how small, has been thoughtfully crafted by us—from our perfect (if we do say so ourselves!) vanilla buttercream to our carefully designed lesson plans and the paint colour on our walls. We’re passionate about what we do, and we hope that passion is evident in every cake that leaves our kitchen.
Where do you find inspiration and ideas?
We find inspiration everywhere! Our founder, Jo and our Operational manager, Candi recently took a trip to Paris and came back bursting with new ideas. We try to encourage creativity through our whole team so the group chat always has lots of ideas flying around!
Are there any exciting trends happening in the world of baked goods?
We've been seeing a lot going on with brioche dough which we are excited to explore in our shop range and our corporate and event offerings. And not quite baked goods, but the Matcha girlies are taking over the drinks market, we're looking forward to creating some new flavours for the Spring!
Can you describe your typical working day?
Our day starts with baking our cookies, cupcakes and buns fresh for the shop first thing, getting looking gorgeous for when the doors open. Then our decorator Viktoria will finish any cake orders for the day while our baker Zoe gets started on preparing the following day's bakes.
Our development chef Amy will work on new ideas, corporate and bespoke orders and planning what is coming up next with Jo and Candi. Every day is different, we might be doing a photoshoot for the website, planning classes, replying to customers or doing the boring bits like invoicing and payroll!
What has been the biggest highlight and challenge to date?
Our biggest highlight, without a doubt, was getting the shop open. That first weekend, seeing our busy, beautiful shop buzzing with excitement, and having queues out the door was honestly a dream come true!
Our biggest challenge was simply getting here. We faced setbacks at every turn—investors pulling out, unexpected costs in the build, weeks of demolition, sweeping, scrubbing, painting, and building. There were countless moments of tough decision-making where we weren’t earning a penny, and at times, it felt like it would never come together. But we powered through, supporting each other every step of the way. We’re forever grateful to our family and friends who lent a hand when they could, helping us bring our dream to life.
Even after the success of our opening, we had exhausted every last penny. In fact, we had to ask Jo’s mum for a loan just to buy ingredients for day two. Despite a completely sold-out opening, we had nothing left to keep going. But we made it through, and that perseverance is what keeps us going today in our thriving business.
Best nugget of wisdom to share with your fellow Creative Ducks?
Jo has had a sign in her home bakery from day one that says - Dream, Plan, Do - and that sign is now in our academy upstairs to remind us that we can achieve anything we put our minds to. In this world where everyone promises you instant success and riches we prefer the old school way.
Dream it up, create your goals and work hard until you have achieved it!
Where can we find out more?
Our shop on Church Street in Caversham is open Wednesday to Sunday, pop in and say hi! Our website is www.bkry.co.uk and you can find us on Instagram at @the_bkry_ We're looking forward to hearing from you!
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