‘We’ve peaked’: Social enterprise bakery celebrates a decade of success in Northampton
A social enterprise bakery has celebrated a decade of success in Northampton, which was excitingly marked by a Royal visit.
Founded in 2015, The Good Loaf is on a mission to provide employment opportunities for vulnerable women through work placements in their community cafe and catering departments.
Every purchase supports training and social reintegration programmes which help women move towards a brighter future.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, visited The Good Loaf Bakery on Overstone Road in October to commend their remarkable work in supporting vulnerable women to break the cycle of offending, unemployment and poverty.
The team is passionate about supporting females who have faced challenging circumstances, including those affected by the criminal justice system, mental health issues, domestic abuse or long-term unemployment.
Chief executive Suzy Van Rooyen has been with The Good Loaf since the very beginning, when it was launched as part of C2C Social Action.
“We never thought this would happen,” said Suzy, when asked how it feels to have reached a decade in the town. “We started with a three-year lottery grant and it was about getting through those three years.
“Then it was about getting through lockdown and recovering, which was really tough for the hospitality industry. We’re now back to normal trading and it feels like we can look to the next 10 years.”
The team are proud to supply bread to cafes and restaurants across the town, including Northampton General Hospital and the University of Northampton. They also appreciate those who come into the bakery and purchase from them directly.
Talking about her proudest achievement during her time at The Goof Loaf, Suzy told the Chronicle & Echo: “We’ve peaked with Princess Anne and I’m not sure where we go next. It’s about the ladies we’ve helped and who keep in touch with us, it’s phenomenal.
“Without our customers, there wouldn’t be a Good Loaf. If the public are looking to go out for coffee and cake, choose us. We pride ourselves on producing a good product at a reasonable price. Use us if you’re able to.”
Suzy said the ideal future is that there would not be ladies to help but until then, they hope to continue the balance of running a business while offering invaluable support.
“We want to continue for as long as we’re needed and move people on in their journey,” said Suzy.