Queuing up for Rosie’s cookies and cupcakes

Talented baker Rosie Doyle has turned a long-term interest in cooking and baking into her own successful food business near her family home in Draperstown.
Bakery entrepreneur Rosie Doyle in her Cookstown shopBakery entrepreneur Rosie Doyle in her Cookstown shop
Bakery entrepreneur Rosie Doyle in her Cookstown shop

An honours graduate of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) from Loughry campus in Cookstown, she opened Rosie’s Cakes, a small

bakery and shop, at the Tyrone market town’s enterprise centre last December. And it’s proving to be a magnet for lovers of good home baking in the Sperrins who have been queuing up to buy her freshly baked cakes, cookies and cupcakes.

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Rosie, who left CAFRE in June 2017 with an BSc (Honours) degree in Food Design and Nutrition, decided on studying at the college “to help me develop my knowledge and practical skills to drive my passion of running my own food business”.

Rosie’s shop in CookstownRosie’s shop in Cookstown
Rosie’s shop in Cookstown

“During the course I learned about the complexity of ingredients and their role in the production of safe, wholesome food,” says the talented and driven baker.

She had been introduced to baking and developed a passion for it when working in the kitchen with her mother as a child at home. “I developed a flair for adapting recipes and trying out new ideas,” Rosie remembers. “Whilst studying at CAFRE I further developed my love for all things sweet. My baking for family and friends subsequently became more intense and I got our kitchen at home passed by Environmental Health to allow me to start selling my creations to the public.”

During her degree course she was baking treats to earn money to support her time at CAFRE, a college renowned for its prominent role in support of the local food and drink industry. “I was doing the job I loved,” she says. Dozens of artisan food businesses have also benefited from CAFRE’s work.

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The Loughry campus, near Cookstown, is a food technology hub for students, graduates and many local businesses which turn to technologists there for advice

Baker Rosie Doyle bakes an impressive range of cakes and other tasty treatsBaker Rosie Doyle bakes an impressive range of cakes and other tasty treats
Baker Rosie Doyle bakes an impressive range of cakes and other tasty treats

and guidance in areas such as new product development, innovation in processing and packaging and nutritional research.

The college has an impressive track record in terms of equipping graduates for skills for employment. A measure of CAFRE’s outstanding success is reflected in data showing that around 90 percent of graduates quickly find employment, most in local food companies. Few, however, choose Rosie’s brave route of setting up a small business soon after graduation.

Armed with her degree, Rosie then honed her bakery, organisational skills and experience by working in the bakery department at Tesco Northern Ireland. She started preparing baked goods for sale to customers and soon came to realise that she could realise her dream of running her own small business. This encouraged her to scale up her kitchen table baking venture. The next stage in her journey was to expand her business knowledge and management skills by taking part in a ‘Go for It’ programme at Cookstown Enterprise Centre.

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“With the support of the programme mentors and the knowledge I had gained from my course at CAFRE, my business plan was approved,” Rosie continues.

Baker Rosie Doyle bakes an impressive range of cakes and other tasty treatsBaker Rosie Doyle bakes an impressive range of cakes and other tasty treats
Baker Rosie Doyle bakes an impressive range of cakes and other tasty treats

The plan featured the significant step of moving from baking at home to a unit in the enterprise centre.

She relishes the challenges of running a small bakery. “Working for yourself with part-time staff you soon find you become a master of all trades. I liaise with suppliers, purchase materials from wholesalers, develop my recipes, create my menus, do the accounts and then start baking! I take pride in my products and produce all my own creations from scratch and only open the shop at the weekend. Business has been great,” she adds.

She sees the small shop currently as a venue for local people seeking tasty treats especially for the weekend.

Rosie is delighted with the success of the small business.

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“People seem to really love my products. I rely on Facebook and Instagram to market my business and products. It’s working really well for me. The challenge I have is keeping up with demand. It’s a great feeling to see people queuing outside the shop before I open but a sinking feeling hits when I realise I haven’t produced enough,” she adds.

She’s now stepped up her baking to enable her to meet the growing demand for her delicious products.

The young entrepreneur is already considering innovative products to help drive further growth. To support this, Rosie intends to seek help from CAFRE’s food technologists to extend her already impressive product range.

Rosie Doyle is another inspirational example of a ‘kitchen table entrepreneur” in Northern Ireland’s dynamic food industry. She now runs a successful artisan business with its own premises and a developing range of delicious products.

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