Homebaked, a community bakery in Anfield, Liverpool, has received £61,000 in investment to fund a dedicated cookery unit and ramp up production.
The funding was secured from First Ark Social Investment (FASI), which provides finance for social enterprises and charities.
FASI said the investment, which is made up of a grant of £15,500 and a loan of £45,500, would go towards helping Homebaked become a larger wholesale producer, expand the café, attend more markets, create new roles and offer more volunteer placements and training courses.
The bakery currently produces 3,000 pies, 300 sausage rolls, 250 loaves and 250 scones each week and provides Liverpool Football Club with 700 pies per game.
It also won 10 medals at this year’s British Pie Awards.
Its most famous pies are the Scouse and the Shankly. The Scouse is a pie containing beef stew, while the Shankly pie is filled with steak, bacon, mushroom and onion.
“Our prized pies are famous throughout Liverpool and if we want to continue making 3,000 a week, we need the right equipment and premises to do it,” said Sally-Anne Watkiss, treasurer of Homebaked.
“The funding from First Ark Social Investment has made a huge difference because we need to expand our premises to cope with demand. We’re now renting an industrial space in Bootle, which was previously a food business, so the right kit is already installed.
“We’ve also been able to buy extra tables, shelves, a mixer, an oven, a fridge and freezer, as we want to scale up production and extend our café to welcome more customers.”
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