We have had such a busy time over the last year! And it’s all thanks to our wonderful customers. As you know everything has changed over the past few months for everyone, and it continues to change, that is no exception for Sponge. From creating new seasonal special cakes, to introducing new ranges to our bakery, like our brownies, this year has been a whirlwind. And there’s even more to come this year.
We have seen a huge increase in demand for our products and services and we couldn’t be happier or feel more privileged for the support you have all given us through these tough times. While we are encouraged by the demand to lift the bar and send out more orders than ever before, we also have to understand our limitations. As you know, we are strictly observing social distancing and have put in place many covid-19 safety processes within our bakery to keep our staff safe. With these procedures in place, it has meant that we have had to maintain a reduced number of bakers in the bakery to ensure everyone’s safety while we continue to work. And, with a limited number of bakers in the bakery, we can only bake so much!
We have also faced challenges, like many others, with the number of deliveries our couriers can make. They have been up against it over the last year, with all of their staff being pushed to the limits, delivering more than ever! They have hit a few speed bumps along the way of navigating this increased demand, and they are continuing to improve their service. They understand the importance of getting our products out in good time due to the items being perishable. Another challenge we have faced is the delivery of our Cake Cards, as we send them through Royal Mail, who have experienced their own challenges during the past year. Royal Mail were (and in some cases still are) struggling to keep up with the demand on their service, so we decided to move all of our Cake Card deliveries to 48-hour tracked delivery. We send our Cake Cards out at least 48-hours in advance with the aim of getting your orders to your recipients on the estimated delivery dates – with the tracking service now in place you can track your order every step of the way to give you extra peace of mind.
In order to ensure we are able to continue to maintain our high level of service and high-quality cakes, brownies, and other baked goodies; we have had to limit the number of orders we can take each day. While we will continue to lift the bar on the number of orders we can take each day, we have to understand our own limits to keep our staff safe. Where possible we will continue to provide our next day cake delivery service, however, this is subject to availability. If you are planning on a special celebration such as an anniversary or birthday, you can order in advance to avoid disappointment. Our order system allows you to pick a date as far in advance as you would like. When you get to the checkout page, after you entered the delivery details (before payment), a calendar will appear to show you all of our available delivery dates (you’ll be able to select the ones that are available). There is a button in the top right corner of the calendar which allows you to move the calendar to the next month and select a date far in advance.
As we have mentioned before, if you are ordering for a special occasion, we do recommend where possible, selecting a delivery date a day or two before you need the cake to account for any unforeseen delivery issues. Your cakes will still be fresh and delicious for your celebration, when it arrives pop it in a nice cosy spot, as they are best eaten at room temperature when the icing is soft.
With all that we are doing to keep up with demand, we want to be able to push the boundaries, however, in order to do that, we will have to expand our premises to create a bigger bakery. So, we have some exciting news! This year we will be moving our bakery! Don’t worry we will still be in Holt – in fact, we have found a location that provides the perfect space to create our new bakery, and it’s just down the road from where we are now. It is so much bigger than our current location which will allow us to bake more, keep in place our covid safe measures, and hire new bakers and other members of staff to increase order capacity and continue to provide our high level of products and service. We are excited about this much-needed move, we love our current bakery but it is no longer fit for purpose, and it’s time for us to expand. This step is hugely exciting, and it will allow us time and space to start creating more yummy products. We are hoping to start the move in the spring of this year and have everyone settled and complete by the summer.
In the meantime, we will continue to do all we can to keep providing as many people as we can with cakes for celebrations, brownies, Cake Cards, and more. Once again, we would like to thank our customers old and new for their continued support and understanding over the last year. We are looking forward to the future and providing you with goodies for all occasions.
The Sponge Team