Welcome back to another edition of Fan Friday, the series that shines a spotlight on the depth, breadth and brilliance of UK small businesses from within the Enterprise Nation community ✨
This week it's the turn of Belfast-based member Alex Coyle and her business, Cake Eighty Seven.
When she first started out, Alex dreamed of creating beautifully bright and glossy cakes that could be posted straight to your door. Two years of "chocolate cracking tantrums, postal disasters, and minor meltdowns", and eighty-seven attempts later, she'd cracked it. Alex now ships her luxury postable cakes across the UK.
Read Alex's founder story below & don't forget to leave some love in the comments. ❤️
Where did the idea for postable chocolate cakes come from?
Over the last few years I became slightly obsessed with chocolate (specifically colourful, glossy chocolate) and wanted to build a product around it. I initially considered chocolate production, but that would have meant a complete shift in business direction. Since I already had experience in cakes, I decided to combine the two and create something entirely new: a cake coated in a hard chocolate shell.
I also wanted the business to be scalable, and to be able to sell across the UK rather than just locally. The idea of fitting the cakes neatly into cardboard tubes came later, and that’s really when everything clicked into place.
What inspired you to start Cake Eighty Seven?
I loved making one-off wedding cakes, but after having two children and life becoming a lot busier (and never being particularly confident about charging properly for my time) I realised I wasn’t earning enough for the hours I was putting in. I wanted to build something more scalable.
I also wanted to create my own style of cake that could be ordered easily online. I thought: if you like it, you like it, and if you don’t, you don’t. I liked the idea of removing endless client consultations and small bespoke tweaks, and simplifying things a little.
What’s been the biggest learning curve since launching Cake Eighty Seven?
Chocolate. Absolutely chocolate.
It’s the reason it took so long to get everything right - tempering, cracked shells, patchy finishes, and mistake after mistake that had to be melted down and started again. I’m very much a “shortcut” person, so learning that this process has to be followed precisely was a big adjustment.
On top of that, figuring out packaging, sizing, and all the tiny daily decisions that come with running a product-based business has been overwhelming at times. I always thought I’d have loved someone to guide me through it, but I don’t know anyone who has started an online food business like this, so I’ve had to figure it out as I go.
Are there any new flavours, products or ideas you’re excited about?
Yes, lots of big ideas for the future, including what I believe could be the first-ever postable tiered wedding cake. I’m really excited about developing that.
Longer term, I’d also love to expand into other Cake Eighty Seven-style products, such as chocolate truffles and teacakes.
What’s one thing that keeps you motivated on tough days?
Seeing those shiny, colourful cakes come out of the mould never gets old. It always makes me smile and reminds me why I started.
I’ve had lots of business ideas over the years, but this is the one that’s truly stuck. I’ve never felt anything other than driven by it, so I just keep going and see where it takes me.
See you next week for another Fan Friday! 🫶