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Father and son team up to create bakery delivery service for people in Tunbridge Wells

06:00, 12 January 2021

A father and son from Tunbridge Wells have created a baked goods delivery service - and their fortunes are on the rise.

Terry Goh, 56, a former boss at product development in BT and son Edward, 23, a history graduate, deliver cakes, bread, sausage rolls and more from four bakeries in the Tunbridge Wells area, to doorsteps in the borough.

Father and son Terry and Edward Goh
Father and son Terry and Edward Goh

Mr Goh game up with the idea during the first lockdown while waiting in a queue outside Paxtol Village Bakery for 40 minutes for his favourite farm house loaf, only to find it was sold out.

He spoke to his son about the idea and approached local bakeries.

Mr Goh said: "I have always loved fresh bread and pastry and anything.

"You can get boxes of bread and things from farm shops but the minimum order is between £20-40. For us as long as your order size is £5 delivery is free.

"We spoke to the bakers and they were so excited. We told them we aren't competing with them at all, we are getting their products to a wider audience.

Father and son Terry and Edward Goh out on their deliveries
Father and son Terry and Edward Goh out on their deliveries

"If you look at the queues outside the bakeries there's a real demand for products but for a lot of people there's no access to it. Either they're shielding or they have to queue for hours."

The pair paid several thousands pounds in start-up costs and launched the business in the start November, called Doorstep Baker, working with three businesses, but that has now grown to four.

They started with 10 orders a week but during the Christmas week it rose to up to 70 orders a day, they say.

Edward, who designed the website and studied at the University of Birmingham said: "I graduated in the middle of the pandemic and there were not too many job opportunities when I left uni.

"I was quite concerned about the future but I think this has given me direction."

Terry dropping off a delivery
Terry dropping off a delivery

It's just the two of them working from their home office, which is a big change for Terry, used to working in huge companies such as Virgin Media and BT, which he left two years ago.

Because it's just the two of them, ideas can be discussed and decided on rapidly, Terry added.

And how is it working together as father and son?

"It can be stressful living and working together simply because we are together all of the time but apart from that it's good, we balance skills off each other, we are quite different so the ideas flow," Mr Goh said.

For now, the pair are doing the delivery in their two cars to houses in TN1, TN2, TN4 and parts of TN3, but have their eyes on expansion.

To learn more about Doorstep Baker, click here.

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