In this new series, we will introduce you to the innovation pioneers of Ealing – small businesses with big dreams of doing new or better things to benefit our borough and beyond.
In November last year, Ealing Council launched its pioneers’ fund, a scheme that provides grants to small and medium sized businesses to help them grow, develop new products or expand their workforce while stimulating the local economy. The £1 million pot was shared out among 12 selected businesses based in the borough, that were each able to demonstrate how the funding would help accelerate growth and create new jobs.
Meet the pioneers
In Park Royal, one of Europe’s largest industrial estates lies Doughlicious, an award-winning brand that creates ready-to-bake and eat, cookie dough using only the best gluten-free ingredients.
Headed up by USA-born entrepreneur Kathryn Bricken, the Ealing business was started in 2017 and produces a range of ready-to-bake cookie dough treats that are on sale at major outlets across the UK.
There are vegan, organic and gluten free options that are all made using the finest natural ingredients that are sourced from reputable suppliers. Its cookie dough is produced in its eco-friendly, five-star food hygiene rated factory, powered by renewable electricity on the Park Royal estate.
How it started
“We saw a gap in the market for amazing tasting cookies that were soft, delicious and natural so we created a cookie dough that was better than that was already available by using oat flours, no white sugars or refined ingredients,” said Kathryn.
“We wanted to create a product that could be baked on its own or used in other recipes, giving the consumer the choice to bake it crispy or bake it gooey, something for everyone.
“We started the cookie dough in 2017 and recently launched our Dough-Chi range, which is a dreamy cookie dough twist on the Japanese dessert, mochi. Basically, cookie dough with an ice cream soul.
Why Ealing?
“Many of our staff live in Ealing but we also love this area. We love the people, the transport links and the closeness to London where a lot of our customers are based, so it seemed to be a logical choice of location for everything that we needed, as well as a place to grow.
What’s next?
“With the pioneer fund grant, which we called ‘Bake the world a better place’, we’ll have the ability to bake our cookies and package them in our new warehouse so people can enjoy them on demand, as well as a very special version that is super exciting and will be in supermarkets soon.
“Ealing Council were brilliant in supporting our application. They kept us in the loop at every stage of the process and we were really excited when we found out we were successful.
“Every bit helps because everything is really, really expensive from the machinery to the labour, so just to have the opportunity to make this project happen and move it along a little more quickly with the grant was a really big blessing.”
To find out more about Doughlicious, visit www.Doughlicious.co.uk
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