Member of the Year
We are delighted to announce the CBA Member of the Year 2023/2024 has been awarded to Frankie Dyer, Barbakan Deli. Frankie has demonstrated resilience and commitment to her business throughout the year, she is an asset to our industry.
David Yates, Chairman of Bako Group presents Frankie Dyer with Member of the Year Award at the Craft Bakers Business Day and Awards Dinner, 5th June 2024
Here is Frankie’s response to winning Member of the Year Award:
Dear Karen, Shirley, John and all who were involved in the CBA Business Day 2024,
I want to extend my gratitude and praise for a job very well done at Wembley.
Alas, our morning did not start off so smoothly when both Misha and I found ourselves stranded at Manchester Piccadilly & Wilmslow train stations with several cancelled routes into London Euston. Fast-forward a few hours and we arrived (slightly sweaty) into the Hilton at lunchtime, where our disappointment in missing the morning’s schedule was soon replaced with the smell of a delicious lunch and a sea of smiling faces.
Feeling slightly flustered, but with satisfied tummies (the chicken skewers in particular were lush) we headed into the industry exhibition where immediately we found new products to sample with Bridor, had a productive chat with a potential new supplier about sourdough starters- LeSaffre, and got to see the new ‘Cybake Shop’ in action (something that had been on my to-do list for a while) so within the first hour of arrival I had already felt like it was worth the stressful travel!
Moving into the slightly freezing ballroom Misha and I were very much looking forward to hearing from Matt Jones of Bread Ahead. Borough Market is probably one of my favourite places in the U.K and I always go out of my way to visit whenever I am in the city. I have watched in awe over the last decade of how Bread Ahead has grown and it was truly interesting and inspiring to hear the story of Matt’s journey. As a business owner myself, who is incredibly careful with savings, I was inspired by Matt when he said he threw every penny he had into his vision and has given me the confidence to start planning on spending and investing more on our own site. It has been in my mind for a long time to expand our on-site kitchen and increase fridge capacity and improve some of the equipment in our bakery… so I’m gonna go for it!!
I found Michael Bridge’s thoughts on how we value our business to be very thought-provoking. Sometimes, the most obvious things can get lost in day-to-day operations, and having a moment to really go back to basics can be just the ticket. I believe our business is valued on our personal service, and our fresh, artisan products and keeping focused on this as our core brand value is vital when planning for future expansion.
Geoff Ramm… I mean, WOW! Loved him. Can I have 10 of him to work in my shop please? Or babysit my kids??! His celebrity service concept was brilliant, and I shall certainly be passing this down to my team. I also found his advice on picking up the phone and sending personalised videos to potential customers and new staff such a great idea, and something I think could really fit in with our catering, in particular. We are very well known for our personal service, and this has also inspired me to include more about our staff on our social media channels too: the faces behind the business and praise them in a public light.
Fast forward to the evening’s event, it was super lovely to get dressed up (I do wish Black Tie events were more common) and to see such a great turnout in the ballroom. I was happy to be sat at the ‘Williamson’ table with such a vibrant and youthful bunch. Sarah Dodge of Vienna Bakery and Seuranie Johnstone of Roses The Bakers and I bonded over our generational family businesses- antics and all. It was so lovely to meet female businesswomen (and all of us mothers!) in the bakery sector and I hope to keep in touch with them.
By the end of the evening, I very much felt part of the ‘brotherhood’ that John Foster has been speaking of. To be honest I have felt quite alone over the past few years since my parents retired and moved to Spain, and over the past couple of months I have pushed myself in new settings and have realised the power, support and motivation of networking within the industry. I have the CBA to thank for that in so many ways. I am not alone. For the first time in a very long time, I feel refreshed, refocused and motivated (slightly tearing up as I am writing this) so thank you.
To top it all off (now I really am crying) to be awarded the CBA’s ‘Member of the Year’. I was flabbergasted. I believe Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones hit the nail on the head when he said, ‘life is full of sh*t, you need to cancel out the white noise and stay focused and that is what separates you from the crowd’ (What a guy by the way!!) I had found myself very bogged down in the white noise over the past 12 months, but after speaking to the judging panel, I felt really uplifted for the first time in a long time. The very kind words of Karen and Shirley about their recent experiences of Barbakan: the fantastic service they received, the concept of our fresh bakery and how that translates into all sectors of our delicatessen, shop and catering, and the support we give our local community did make me swell with pride.
In the days that have passed since the event I have thought about all of the goals and targets I have set myself over the past 12 months: rebranded our logo and packaging, introduced new deli meat suppliers and products, reinvented our website, vamped up our commercial catering and designed a new catering menu, promoted and trained 2 new managers in the business that have so much potential and won 4 national awards. I don’t think I ever give myself enough credit, so thank you so much for honouring me and my Barbakan.
Also to have John Foster approach me about his story of being a baker himself at Barbakan in 1978 was fantastic!! I will never forget what he said- and he said I can quote him on this: ‘Barbakan is a place where magic happens’ Just wow!
Thanks to the CBA and all the fabulous members I met that night that were so friendly, so willing to give advice, so supportive and so congratulative on our award.
I’m starting to see those magical sparks fly again.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you may well have saved my career.
Looking forward to more networking days ahead.
Frankie xxx