Young Baker’s Initiative Story
Ella Muddiman and Naomi Spaven
Ella Muddiman and Naomi Spaven, who work in Ial Bakery at Coleg Cambria are the first to take part in the Young Bakers Initiative – a new collaboration between BAKO, Coleg Cambria and Wrights, part of the The Compleat Food Group, devised to inspire the next generation of bakers.
The idea for the project started at the 2025 The Wales Bakery Conference, held in Coleg Cambria’s Wrexham site, which Ella and Naomi played a significant part in organising which featured inspiring talks, including one by FDQ CEO Terry Fennell who stressed the baking industry’s future depends on new talent. He urged businesses to hire and support apprentices to develop their skills. Sara Autton of the Worshipful Company of Bakers delivered a similar message, highlighting a significant skills gap and the need for employers to find opportunities to support new talent within their own companies.
These talks inspired David Armstrong, Group Commercial Director at BAKO, to launch a new project aimed at bridging the gap between education and the modern baking industry. Impressed by Ella and Naomi’s work on the conference, he invited them to lead the pilot program. The partnership quickly came to life with BAKO collaborating with Wrights, part of the Compleat Food Group, to bring the project to fruition.
Naomi Spaven, and Ella Muddiman are both studying their FDQ Level 3 Diploma in Proficiency in Advanced Baking Industry Skills with the College and were finalists in last year’s British Baker BIA (Baking Industry Awards) Rising Star category with Naomi winning the award and Ella being nominated again this year. They were given a live New Product Development (NPD) brief: to create both a sweet and a savoury festive product for Christmas 2025. Working in their college bakery, they brainstormed, tested, and refined a series of recipes before presenting them to BAKO and Wrights.
Ella and Naomi gained firsthand experience in adapting their bakery recipes for large-scale production by spending time on the Wrights factory floor. They learned to factor in cost, flavour, consistency, and capability, providing them with valuable insight into the realities of new product development in a commercial setting.
Beyond the production process, they were also involved in the product launch, assisting with photography for their creations and briefing the BAKO Sales team. This gave them a comprehensive view of the entire journey of a new product, from initial concept to market release.
A percentage of profits from the sales will be reinvested into a dedicated fund for future Young Bakers Initiatives, ensuring this project continues to support young talent year after year. The project is supported by the Craft Bakers Association, Worshipful Company of Bakers, The Future Bakers Council and FDQ.
This collaborative project, fuelled by Ella and Naomi’s creativity, has resulted in three new festive products for the BAKO Select range. These include two new “Cakes for Finishing” options: the Irish Coffee Slice, with its layers of coffee caramel and Irish liqueur cream, and a modern twist on the classic Black Forest Slice. They also created a new and improved savoury Festive Slice featuring brie and cranberry, complete with a refined crunch and glaze.
All three products are now available exclusively to BAKO Group customers.
As part of the Young Bakers Initiative, the participants and partners shared their experiences, from the creative process and the knowledge gained to the excitement of seeing their ideas become a reality. Here’s what they had to say:
Ella said: “I’ve loved every step of this project…. From brainstorming and trialling different flavours, to adapting the recipes at Wrights so they would actually work in production, it was a huge learning curve.
To know that something I helped create will be on sale this Christmas is just incredible. It proves young bakers really can make a difference, and I hope it shows others that they can too.”
Naomi said: “Taking part in this project has been such a brilliant experience, it’s completely different to the artisan baking I’d done before. I really want young people to see that there are so many different career paths in baking, from artisan bakeries to large-scale production and new product development. It’s made me even more certain that I’m in the right industry, and I feel really excited about the future.”
Matthew Bell, Head of Business Development from FDQ says: “BAKO’s inaugural Young Bakers initiative marks a bold step toward cultivating tomorrow’s baking leaders and by partnering with bakery apprenticeship training providers like Coleg Cambria they’re not just training, they’re forging a new generation of bakers equipped to innovate and inspire.”
The Young Bakers Initiative has not only delivered three exciting new festive products but also laid the foundations for a programme that will continue to nurture creativity, inspire ambition and champion the next generation of baking talent for years to come.
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