UCL’s Lockdown Entrepreneurs: B2 Bakes
The third article of our ‘Lockdown Entrepreneurs’ series – which highlights student-led initiatives that have flourished at UCL during lockdown – focuses on B2 Bakes, a south London baking company started by UCL student Yaalarasi and her younger sister Kaviarashi.
Photography by B2 Bakes
On July 15, Yaalarasi, a third-year Applied Medical Sciences student at UCL, and her younger sister Kaviarashi, created an Instagram account for a project that had been a long time in the making: the company B2 Bakes (pronounced “B squared bakes”). Working from their home kitchen in Croydon, the sisters bake and decorate cakes, cupcakes, and other baked goods, which they deliver to Croydon and areas of south London.
Although on social media B2 Bakes is scarcely over a month old, the foundations and the idea for the company had been brewing for a long time. Yaalarasi and Kaviarashi describe their mother as “an eager cake decorator” and early inspiration for B2 Bakes: “From since we can remember she has made amazing cakes for friends and family. She taught us how to bake and over the years by helping her out and watching her we both have picked it up!”
The sisters soon followed in her steps, making cakes for friends and people they knew locally. After several years of receiving encouragement from their friends, they finally decided to launch their own business. Lockdown simply set the project in motion, providing Yaalarasi and Kaviarashi with the extra time they needed to develop it: “Lockdown gave us the time to discuss how things were going to work and the logistics of launching a page – hence why we launched [B2 Bakes] now!”
Photography by B2 Bakes
The founders of B2 Bakes have since begun baking and decorating from their home, creating a wide array of different cake designs (with vegan options available) and – as of late July – selling batches of cupcakes as well. Although the page is new and still has a relatively small following, it has so far been met with excellent reviews from customers.
When asked about the main difficulties they faced in setting up the company, Yaalarasi and Kaviarashi pointed out some very practical challenges related to the pandemic. Due to stockpiling and measures to prevent this at supermarkets across the UK, the sisters are often unable to easily source some of the products (such as flour or eggs) that they need: “Sometimes we are having to go to four or five shops just to get enough materials to complete an order.”
Photography by B2 Bakes
But nonetheless, B2 Bakes’ inbox has remained open for orders, and the business is looking to expand to other parts of London soon. B2 Bakes is currently able to deliver cakes and cupcakes locally, to Croydon and nearby areas of south London, but the sisters are looking to launch a postal range of treats to reach more potential customers.
Among the sisters’ goals for the next few months are to launch this new postal range, as well as to publicise the company more extensively so that more people outside their usual customer base will place orders. B2 Bakes is growing and currently set to be one of the small businesses that have emerged at UCL during lockdown to keep an eye on in coming months.
B2 Bakes is on Instagram and takes orders and enquiries via its DMs.