Payal Tyagi
There are a few Filipino nurses in the UK who left nursing to run their businesses. One of them is Pamela Picondo, the owner of Pamsmixx by Pamcakes, a thriving bakeshop in Cardiff. Suffering from anxiety and stress at work during the pandemic, Pamela or Pam decided to turn to baking which she loved. It would be the start of a successful business journey for her and husband Christopher.
“Believe in your passion,” Pam said. Find out how her hobby turned into a successful business.
What is the story behind your brand name?
We came up with ‘pamcakes’ as a combination of my name and cakes. But while registering our business, we soon discovered that ‘pamcakes’ had already been taken. In many parts of the world, actually. We even asked each member of our family and some friends for suggestions.
My husband thought of ‘Pamsmixx,’ but I said ‘Pamsmixx by Pamcakes’ since we were already recognised as Pamsmixx by our initial customers. We made a consensual decision which gave birth to Pamsmixx by Pamcakes.
When did your journey begin?
I was a nurse by profession and enjoyed my years of service. Back then, cooking and baking were my hobbies, and I loved hosting parties. I never thought it would become our main source of income. I remember I brought some home-baked goods at work for everyone to enjoy. From then on, colleagues have asked me to bake for their special occasions. And they love and enjoy the new flavours of Filipino bakes!
One time, I was invited to join a bake-off among staff members of our company. Colleagues from different branches came and joined. Guests and judges enjoyed my rainbow cake which had different fruity flavours from natural ingredients and it was declared the winner!
Initially, I decided to reduce my hours from work because of high blood pressure and anaemia. And then the pandemic hit, which turned the situation for the worse. I developed anxiety and stress over work, so I had to ask for professional help.
The mental health nurse and GP recommended that I do things that I love. And since very few options were available due to the pandemic, I turned to baking and walking.
Baking saved me; it was incredibly fulfilling as I contributed something to my community. My husband, at that time, was also working as a retrieval nurse. Due to the physical work involved, he developed debilitating back problems. We decided it was time to put our nursing career on hold while we found something more suitable for us.
What inspired you to start your business?
Every time I made a cake and got positive feedback, it inspired me to improve. After a while, we got more and more good feedback from my colleagues and friends and their friends and families, too. It was satisfying, heartwarming and overwhelming for me.
That was when I started to gain confidence to start a bakery business of our own.
Who supported you in establishing your business?
My husband Christopher supported me all the way through and became my business partner. Our children, family, and friends gave us their support too. The Filipino communities and people from other ethnic communities spread our name through word of mouth, which we’re thankful for.
Me and my husband had no experience in running a business. Everything was very new to us. Thankfully, Business Wales guided us in our way, and we are grateful for the help we’ve received from everyone who supported us.
How do you bring Filipino flavours into your products? And how do you maintain the quality of your baked goods?
To ensure we have the best quality supply, we get most of them from our local Asian wholesalers. Bringing Filipino flavours into our products was easy for us, as we could source out all of the necessary ingredients locally.
We are from Quezon province (I’m from Lucena, and my husband’s from Sariaya). That is why most of the flavours of our products are known in Tayabas, Lucban, Sariaya and Lucena City. They bring me back to my memories of home since making these products after so long gives me a feeling of nostalgia.
Our products’ flavours and textures will tell you the story of our roots. Following this, our hygiene and safety rating is 5, the top of the scale set by the Food Standards Agency.
What was your starting capital?
We cannot really give an exact amount as we’d already accumulated some of our baking equipment before starting the business. We estimate that our starting capital was around £35,000.
What permits and licences did you have to get and pay for?
There were a few. We had to get a local council business permit as a partnership – free of charge. Otherwise, the insurance for our business costs us £250 a year, and the GS1 licence for the barcodes and registration of products cost us £120 per year. Lastly, car insurance, which we use for deliveries, costs £500-600 annually.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs?
Here’s a list of advice we’d give ourselves if we’ve just started:
- Create a business plan in an achievable time frame.
- Know the rules and regulations of your local council.
- Know the suppliers of the ingredients needed for your food business.
- Know the product you’re going to sell.
- Know how and where to get help to support you with your business.
- Don’t get disappointed quickly. Not all paths can lead to success, and failures are still helpful to learn and grow in the future.
- Be innovative. Don’t just rest on your laurels. See how everyone else leads their business, see the local trends, and make those plans for success.
- Find a reliable person to trust who can help with your business and share the same passion as you.
- Be hands-on, and try to see your business from every point of view. This is especially important when you’re new because it’s hard to know what to focus on when starting.
How can customers contact you?
FB Messenger: pamsmixx by pamcakes
Instagram: @pamsmixxbypamcakes
Whatsapp: 07887850250
Email: chrisandpam@pamsmixx.com
Website: www.pamsmixx.com
Updated on 17 December to credit Rian Tan for Pam’s photo which we missed to include due to oversight when we published the article on 13 December.
