Brownie-making father-and-son superstars from Northampton shortlisted for entrepreneur award

A Northampton father and son have been nominated for an award after spending the past year baking brownies from their home and selling them across the coutnry.

John and Leo Lashley from Brooklyn Brownie Co. are among the four finalists for the Midlands 'family business entrepreneur of the year' in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Having started out baking United States-inspired brownies from their kitchen to shipping their product across the globe, it has been a crazy 12 months for the pair.

"I never imagined all this would happen, if I said I did I would be lying," John said.

"I had no idea how it would turn out - we started out jogging and we had to pick up the pace and start running,"

Brooklyn Brownies began as a way for John and Leo, who call themselves main and lil dude, to celebrate their American heritage as John grew up in New York City.

Baking brought the pair together even more when Leo's mother took her own life days after the micro-business was set up.

The brownies with flavours inspired by US candy and colourful designs took off though and soon they were being sold in shops and restaurants in the town.

The coronavirus came just as they were looking at moving into an industrial kitchen - instead they transformed their own kitchen with commercial-style ovens.

The orders did not slow down either and they even launched a limited edition Biscoff and brownie chocolate bar in collaboration with The Chocolate Smiths, based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

"It's been one hell of a rollercoaster with lockdown and everything else and the chocolate bar went insane, I think we shifted over 5,000 units in the end," John said.

"Those weeks were a real learning curve, to shift 12,000 brownies a week out of Northampton with the logistical issue while keeping customers happy and engaging with them, it's been a huge juggling act.

"I was going to bed at like 4am and Leo at around 1am just to make enough brownies.

"But it did us really well, the orders shot up and people started contacting us from the States, and places like Japan, it's a totally different demographic that opened up for us."

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards has shortlisted 550 entrepreneurs and 433 businesses across eight regions in 15 categories, including a new award to recognise those who adapted to the Covid-19 crisis.

During a virtual ceremony on September 23, one finalist will be crowned 2020 Midlands entrepreneur of the year as well as a national winner.

Awards founder Francesca James said: “Given what we’ve seen over the past few months, the 2020 edition of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards is arguably the most important.

"Now, more than ever, it’s vital that we celebrate the achievements of the country’s entrepreneurs and their determination in the face of such adversity."