A simple recipe for a business with heart

FORGET concrete and steel. Rick Mc- Cordall's success at the Clervaux Artisan Cafe and Bakery is being built on flour, yeast, a pinch of salt and water.

The bakery, in Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, was established by the Clervaux Trust in 2010 and Mr Mc- Cordall was its manager.

Alongside the commercial operation, a range of courses, work experience and work placements were offered which fitted in with the trust’s ethos of helping disenfranchised and disadvantaged young people across the North-East.

Two years later, with the cafe and bakery losing money and the trust being restructured, Mr McCordall jumped at the chance to take it on, while sticking to its original aims.

“As I had been involved in managing the enterprise, I felt confident I knew what needed to be done,” he says.

“As part of that process, I committed to continuing to work with Clervaux Trust students, providing work placements and buying the fresh veg and salad from the trust’s farm at Croft.

“That relationship is still very much intact and we work well together as partners.”

To make the business profitable, Mr McCordall set about opening satellite cafes in Northallerton, Thirsk, and most recently, Stokesley, branded “Olivia’s” after his young daughter. A fifth cafe, at the Methodist church in Hurworth, is due to open in June.

The Darlington cafe was not enough to sustain the bakery.

Now, with the bakery now supplying four cafes, the business is on a sound financial footing.

“This was our priority from day one when I took over in September 2012,” says Mr McCordall. “It means we are more stable, that jobs are secure, we can continue to work with the Clervaux Trust providing placements and we can potentially grow further.”

Speaking of which, the search is on for a new base in Darlington for the central bakery and cafe.

“We are at capacity in Darlington.

We want to set up a purpose-built bakery and central kitchen and are in the process of raising money to achieve that.”

Mr McCordall is also planning to develop the social enterprise side of the business as well.

“In Darlington, the role of our paid staff is not just to work in the kitchen or front of house, but to support the Clervaux Trust students.

“We intend to develop that by working with local charities in places where we have cafes, such as The Clock, in Thirsk, providing placements for vulnerable young adults who need the benefits of being part of a team and hopefully helping them into a position to apply for real work,” explains Mr Mc- Cordall.

“If a position becomes available in our business and the student has demonstrated capability, we will offer them a job.”

Running the operation is a matter of achieving the right balance between commercial and social.

“There is a very fine line between commercial success, which is important for our long-term survival, and the work we are doing for the young adults.

“Because we have been doing it for a while, we feel we have got that balance right,” he says.

“Staff are trained and know how to work alongside the students and in Darlington, the customers are familiar with what we do and are comfortable with how it works.

“The staff get an enormous amount of satisfaction from the fact they are not just here to serve customers but to help people less fortunate than themselves.”

Olivia's Bakery, in Darlington

The bakery and cafes are a major employer, with a mix of 50 full and part-time staff. There are teams of bakers and chefs and each cafe has a manager and deputy who are supported by teams of waiting staff and baristas, all under the watchful eye of Mr Mc- Cordall.

It’s a long way from his former life as a promotions executive for the Newcastlebased Sunday Sun newspaper.

“I have also run businesses before but this is by far the hardest and most difficult I have been involved in,” he says.

It is also the most rewarding.

“There are so many elements to it to make it successful.

You need to be focused every day on being as good if not better than the day before.

“We are in a very competitive sector. In Northallerton, there are at least 15 or 20 places to grab a cup of coffee.

“We are not the cheapest – we know that – but the food we sell is some of the best available.

“It is really important we maintain the same standard of food and service so customers who try us come back.

“We know they have a choice. We need to ensure the experience they have makes them choose us again.”

Customers can pick up anything from a date and pecan loaf to cheese and onion bread from the bakery. And the most popular?

“The white tin loaf. It’s just a delicious bread made of flour, yeast, salt and water,” says Mr McCordall.