The Rebel Baker

The Rebel Baker was launched in January 2024, and more recently, Rachel received a £15,000 loan through the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme with support from Virgin StartUp, one of the Start Up Loans programme’s business support partners, to support with equipment costs as her order book grew. This expenditure was a heavy cash drain on the business and Rachel was down to her last £1,000 in her bank, so the finance came just at right time to save the business.

As a single parent to a daughter with several food allergies, Rachel previously struggled with finding options that her child could enjoy that tasted the same as the ‘regular’ cakes, pastries or biscuits. Despite many supermarkets now having aisles of allergen-free options, she found herself still needing to check labels on every item, as there were limited choices that exclude all 14 allergens.

After being told at school that she would “never amount to anything”, Rachel has grown the business substantially in its first 18 months with stockists including over 20 Glasgow and Ayrshire cafes, as well as national partners. Before starting the bakery venture, Rachel was running a café called Thyme on Ayr’s Alloway Street and appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Future Food Stars’ alongside other food and drink entrepreneurs, which helped inspire her decision to start up the manufacturing business.