A young entrepreneur whose Savvy Baker business was founded during lockdown is set to expand with the opening of a new bricks-and-mortar venue.
Savannah Roqaa, 26, started her brownie business after baking and delivering treats for her friends who began sharing pictures that attracted the attention of sweet-toothed punters.
The online business has grown into a commercial bakery and hosts pop-ups across the country and at Savvy Baker's Oaktree Business Park headquarters.
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Now, Ms Roqaa is launching Savvy Café in Roundhay with her partner Jordan Simms.
She said: “I’ve lived in Roundhay my whole life, so I couldn’t think of a better area to launch! The Savvy Baker is something I want to share with the local community and being surrounded by residential properties it made sense to put the cafe right in the middle of it all.
"After we’ve been open a couple of months, we will be able to expand our menu, offering breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, shakes, ice cream, and more. We also want to plan events, including doggy days. But we’re taking it one step at a time."
Ms Roqaa was initially producing 30-40 boxes of brownies each week from her small kitchen, but has since opened a commercial bakery and amassed 50,000 Instagram followers.
The new café is expected to offer brownies, brookies, cookies, flapjacks, cakes, tarts, sticky stuff and North Star coffee. It will also offer Savvy Baker brownie tubs too, which have been consistently selling out online.
Ms Roqaa added “Jordan moved up to Leeds and has always been my biggest supporter. I’m so busy with the bakery and running that side of the business that having someone I trust to help run the cafe was a must…plus not having to make every decision alone is a bonus!
"We’re both really excited; it feels like the most natural next step. Initially, we were solely online, but as the world changes, we have to adapt. So that’s what’s happened.”
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