The Loaf Cookery School

by Startacus Admin
Here at Startacus we come across all sorts of inspiring people and projects every day. Some we like, and some we quite frankly love. This happens to be one of those.
Loaf is a social enterprise initiative based in Birmingham. It all began when the very aptly named Tom Baker started experimenting with making sourdough bread at home. He became increasingly enamoured with the whole process and this passion led to him leaving his job as a nutritionist in the NHS and taking up bread making instead.
Wanting to share his knowledge and to pass on his bread making skills, Tom began to teach bread making at home every weekend. He held small intimate classes where he taught all sorts of people the basics of making good sourdough bread with all his students taking a little of his own ‘starter’ with them after each class. His dream however was to keep teaching but to have a dedicated place to do it as opposed to his own home kitchen! Last year that dream came true when the Loaf Cookery School opened in Stirchley, Birmingham.
Moving to new premises of course takes money and it is heartening to see that it was another local business, family brewery Everards who invested in the site and its refurbishment so that Loaf could take that next step. Premises now sorted, getting the necessary equipment in place was the next task. Loaf did this in a truly innovative way.
To fund the equipment, the School arranged a ‘bread bonds’ deal, whereby the business asked 25 people to each invest £1000. Their money would be returned after 3 years, together with 6% interest paid in, not cash...but in loaves of bread. Ingenious huh?
Moving to dedicated bigger premises has not only meant that the School has been able to teach more people and run a community bakery, but it has also been able to help support other artisan food makers in the local area. Other courses are held on site teaching everything from wild food foraging to preserving. Loaf also regularly hosts pop up dining experiences, thereby supporting lots more local chefs, bakers and baristas. All this right in the middle of a high street just crying out for regeneration.
If you like this motivational food based tale then you might also like our article on The Peoples Kitchen and if you’ve got a few minutes, check out this short video of the Loaf Story. It's great!
The Loaf Cookery School
If only there were projects like this in every town and city...
If you like what you see here on Startacus and want to get involved yourself, why not become a member of our growing community by joining for free here!
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
The UK’s fastest-growing plant-based meat brand, THIS™ set to launch Seedrs campaign to support further innovation, bold marketing and international expansion.

Voicy, the online content platform for discovering, creating and sharing sound-clips and sound-effects secures investment to support team expansion and global growth.

Career Masterclass has launched a new website to showcase its offerings, as a strategic partner for businesses wanting to bolster D&I policies.

NI Startup? Fancy showcasing your startup at this year's Digital DNA event? We've got up to 10 spaces for NI startups to do just that. Here's the details!

Germany's leading digital solar platform, Zolar secures major investment to support roll out of new digital energy products.

Metro Bank seeks startups and scaleups with a focus on customer experience, community banking, optimisation of systems & data and sustainability for its second innovation lab.

Need a little extra motivation to get your daily step count up? Treekly will help you do your bit for the climate crisis with every step you take...

The lowdown on London-based SaaS startup Adadot and its innovative performance and wellbeing tracking platform for developers.

Henrik Grim, European GM of Capchase shares insights on how founders can navigate these more challenging funding conditions.

Storyblok secures major investment to further accelerate product innovation and growth into the US and Europe.
Published on: 19th February 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Voicy lands €1.2 million pre-Seed from Global Founders Capital to build the GIPHY for sound 20th May 2022 Voicy, the online content platform for discovering, creating and sharing sound-clips and sound-effects secures investment to support team expansion and global growth.
- Zolar Lands €100 Million Series C On The Back Of Surging Demand For Affordable Green Energy 19th May 2022 Germany's leading digital solar platform, Zolar secures major investment to support roll out of new digital energy products.
- Metro Bank opens call for participants for second Magic Makers programme 17th May 2022 Metro Bank seeks startups and scaleups with a focus on customer experience, community banking, optimisation of systems & data and sustainability for its second innovation lab.
- Storyblok Raises $47M Series B to Make Headless Content Management the New Standard 17th May 2022 Storyblok secures major investment to further accelerate product innovation and growth into the US and Europe.