Au Revoir not Goodbye
It is almost 2 years since the seed of Robins Bakery & Provisions first began to germinate. It has been an absolute pleasure to make so much bread, and so many pastries for a whole host of customers across Putney and Southwest London. It is therefore, with a heavy heart that I have decided to that I will be soon shutting my Micro-bakery.
The three main goals that I set myself at the outset of Robins B&P were: to produce excellent bread and pastries, to build a loyal group of local customers, and to find a site that I could shift the Micro-bakery into to grow the business. I feel I have achieved the first two and hope you agree, but the third has been far more challenging. Putney has proved to be a much harder place for a solo baker to setup a great bakery than I thought at the business’ outset. I am now conscious that I could be waiting 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years for the right location to come onto the market, which would allow me to transfer and upscale the business locally.
Taking this into account, I no longer feel that running the Micro-bakery week to week is helping me towards the goal of opening a fully-fledged bakery & eatery. The hours involved in baking every week for Robins customers is substantial, and with the addition of my shifts at Layla, I have found myself working on average about 60-70 hours a week. This is not a problem in of itself. It is tremendously satisfying producing delicious food for grateful customers, but it leaves me with very little time or energy to develop the business in the way I want to. I have therefore found myself working in the business and not on it, without a clear idea of when I will be able to grow the business.
However, I would like to reassure Robins B&P fans that the bakery dream is still most definitely alive! As I have said, I think the best course of action now is to take a step back to re-assess the project. In order to do this, I am looking for a new job in an area that will help me develop my knowledge in food, wine, hospitality, retail etc. I need to keep learning and extending my horizons, which is always fun and challenging! I am also keen to find a business partner. I have learnt that food and hospitality is a tough place to be pushing forward a project on your own. The challenge and accountability that a partner’s eye can offer are invaluable I suspect. So, if you are reading this and know of someone that shares my beliefs about simple, delicious food and sustainability in hospitality, please don’t hesitate to put them in touch with me.
The Robins B&P Instagram will live on, and I am considering future options including pop-ups, pastry drops and Supper Clubs, so do keep your eyes peeled. With more time there is more opportunity.
But without doubt the thing I will miss most is handing over my bakes to customers on their doorsteps. Whether it is a quick chat or just a smile, as I hand over a still warm sourdough, it is those moments that make the early mornings and pedal strokes on my delivery bike worth it. I have no regrets about this bakery adventure so far. I have learnt an unbelievable amount about baking and cooking, as well as the ins and outs of running a business. I have met so many tremendous people on the doorsteps of Putney and will be staying in touch. Robins B&P will continue running for at least the next couple of weeks, and perhaps slightly longer depending on where I end up working. Fundamentally, I do want my next job to be one that is going to help me push the dream forwards. I will keep you posted on Instagram and on the website. I am looking forward to the next chapter …. This is au revoir not goodbye x.
