During these difficult times for businesses, Ridiculously Rich by Alana, a luxury cake making business owned and run by BBC Apprentice 2016 winner Alana Spencer, is growing and expanding thanks to help and support from Food Centre Wales.
Last year Alana was able to achieve SALSA standards, a recognised food certification which demonstrates products are produced in a safe and legal manner, in just six weeks for their new premises in Aberystwyth with the help from Food Centre Wales’s technical team.
Her business went from strength to strength but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, as with so many other food and drink outlets, it suffered a loss of 80% of sales overnight as food events were cancelled, and franchises and stockists stopped their orders.
However, working closely with Food Centre Wales has changed everything as Alana explains:
“As with all food and drink businesses in Wales we had to rethink our business plan and consider other ways of delivering our products to our customers. We realised we had to sell our products wrapped to meet strict regulations while at the same time creating new products.
“Working closely with Sarah our food technologist from Food Centre Wales, we were able to expand our product range by 30% by offering a new range of wrapped cookie cake bars in three flavours, vanilla chocolate, double chocolate and salted caramel as well as offering our full range of cakes in 12 flavours all wrapped.
“As a member of the Welsh Government’s Fine Food Cluster we have also been kept informed of updates on the pandemic regarding the food and drink sector, finding out about support and problem solving with other businesses.
“For us, as with many other businesses, it was critical that we could sell to the public online as well as to stockists, and without the help from the food centre we would have not been able to adapt and find a way around to sell our products during this time.
“Now we are looking to the future and opening a new dessert bar and café on the seafront in Aberystwyth. We very much hope to continue working with the Food Centre Wales and overall it is a relief knowing there is so much support along the way.
“The funding available to businesses in Wales is incredibly helpful, and this process would have taken much longer had we not had this help and may have substantially delayed growth for the business.”
Food Centre Wales is based in Horeb, Ceredigion and is a dedicated food technology centre offering advice, technical services and training to business start-ups, SMEs and existing food manufacturers.
Food Technologist Sarah Ivens, who has been assisting Ridiculously Rich, added, “Due to the impact of Covid-19, businesses have had to adapt quickly to changes triggered by the pandemic, which meant having to speed up the process that would normally have more time and resources to assess and manage. We were available to advise Ridiculously Rich on creating legally compliant labels by ensuring they followed all the legal requirements and regulations.”
Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths said:
“During these challenging times for the Food and Drink sector in Wales we want to offer the best support for businesses, to safeguard jobs and create a boost to the sector especially after the national lockdown period.
“We know that if we’re to ensure consumer confidence in our products and services, the reputation of Welsh food and drink goes hand in hand with improving food safety and standards. We all need to play our part in ensuring the food chain in Wales delivers high quality, safe and sustainable food and drink, and the Welsh Government is at the forefront in ensuring food safety.
“Ridiculously Rich by Alana has shown that by working with a dedicated food centre they have been able to move the business forward in these difficult times.
“Food Innovation Wales has opened a helpline in each of its geographical areas to assist any food and drink business with food safety, technical or supply chain continuity.
Whether you're a first-time business, need help to trial a new product, or looking for specialist training and advice, these knowledgeable teams can help provide the answers.”
For more information on the helplines available, please go to: https://businesswales.gov.wales/foodanddrink/how-we-can-help/innovation-centres