Silver Tree Bakery secures £250k loan to open new cafe and create 15 jobs

West Midlands-based Silver Tree Bakery has secured £250k debt funding to launch a new dine-in café, creating up to 15 new jobs over the next six months.

The family-run business is to become the anchor tenant at the Gracechurch Centre in Sutton Coldfield, with its new 70-seater outlet serving as the town’s first co-working space.

Funding comes from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II through its appointed fund manager Frontier Development Capital (FDC), and will enable Silver Tree Bakery to fit out the new 3,000 sq ft unit as well as doubling production at its bakery in nearby Water Orton.

The company was founded as a catering business in 2019 by siblings Kirk Bick and Kirsty Cosgrave. After being halted by the pandemic, it pivoted to producing a range of premium cakes, pastries and sourdough loaves for wholesale customers including Michelin star restaurants and coffee shops. It also sells directly to the public via its onsite woodland café, popular with local families and walkers and located on land next to the home of the co-founders’ parents.

Silver Tree Bakery currently employs 36 staff members, with turnover tripling over the past three years. It has also been running a weekend pop-up at the Gracechurch Centre for the last 12 months.

Work on the new café is expected to be completed by early December, with the company also planning to launch a similar concept in Birmingham city centre in 2026.

“I started my career at the age of 14 with a weekend job in a hotel kitchen, and it has always been my ambition to run a bakery,” said Beck. “At Silver Tree Bakery we offer exquisite handmade products using only the finest ingredients. The new outlets will enable us to expand our business while remaining true to our roots as an independent family firm producing high-quality food.”

FDC investment manager Ryan Cartwright noted that Silver Tree Bakery is known for quality, freshness, and friendly service at a good price point, with the original Water Orton site having become a real success story. “We believe the new Gracechurch venue could have a very positive impact – increasing footfall at the centre, creating new jobs and providing valuable workspace for the local community,” he added.

The £400m Midlands Engine Investment Fund II covers the entire Midlands region and provides equity investment up to £5m and debt finance from £25k to £2m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up, or stay ahead.