UK Enterprise 2020

159 | UK Enterprise Awards 2020 Jacksons Gluten Free was born from the sale of a previous ‘gluten including’ bakery business. With a family member suffering from severe gluten intolerance, and unsatisfied with the gluten free equivalent to the ‘normal’ counterparts, the decision was made to create something new that could fill the void. Since the beginning of the firm in 2013, the team have provided an astonishingly wide range of products, including sweet, savoury and bread items. The team are constantly innovating to bring new products to the market, but taste and quality have always remained at the forefront. If it doesn’t taste as it should, it simply isn’t released. Some products are still under trial after several attempts, because they aren’t quite right…yet. The location of the firm has been key to success. Devon has a rich history of quality, with many celebrated artisanal producers in the food and beverages industry. Jacksons Gluten Free is another member of this august circle. It means that the team can trade on the strong reputation of quality food and drink that comes from the area. Indeed, the quality of Jacksons Gluten Free means that they are only making that reputation stronger. In keeping with an artisan flavour, Jacksons Gluten Free is proudly family owned and run. The team is made up of four people, all of whom carry the Jackson name. This gives a little bit of colour and personality to the business, with husband and wife team, David and Yvonne as well as son and daughter Daniel and Abigail all sharing an interest in the business and their customers at heart, which is reflected in their wonderful customer service. The bakery began with home deliveries locally, moving quickly to small wholesale production and a shop in 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown hit, 95% of the wholesale trade disappeared overnight. The team had already decided that they would open up an online shop, with a national courier delivery service. This decision most likely saved the business. Jul20164 Best Gluten-Free Baked Goods Business 2020 Necessity is the mother of invention, so the saying goes. For the team behind Jacksons Gluten Free Bakery, the need to differentiate from the rest of the market, to react to unexpected events such as COVID-19 and to provide the best possible offerings has led them to success. We take a closer look at how this specialist bakery has managed to thrive in challenging circumstances where many have fallen. For the team at Jacksons Gluten Free, the last few months have been a whirlwind of activity. What started out as an experimental courier service has only grown more rapidly thanks to COVID-19. Instead of operating on a small scale, the team sells to a national audience which has brought its own benefits and challenges. The operation has had to change quickly to suit this new way of working. Hospitality and catering businesses are still suffering, and will almost certainly not recover in time to replace what trade has been lost. The decision to go online is one that is now firmly embedded in the way that Jacksons Gluten Free works, and has been met with enthusiasm by customers around the UK. While the future remains uncertain for many businesses, the courier service that Jacksons Gluten Free has championed has proven to be the firm’s salvation. Many small gluten free producers have fallen by the wayside as the convenience of supermarkets takes hold, but what this company can offer is quality, taste and individuality, complete with courier delivery and great customer service. What Jacksons Gluten Free has done is offer a specialist product with premier delivery. In challenging times, the firm has reinvented itself as something different from the norm. It’s this difference that has allowed this gluten free bakery to achieve such impressive levels of success. Company: Jacksons Gluten Free Bakery Name: David Jackson Web Address: www.jacksonsglutenfree.com