Just three years ago, Matthew Bond was working as a landscape gardener and had never so much as cooked a meal, let alone baked a cake.
But as a boy growing up in America, Matthew had dreamed of one day owning a doughnut store and was convinced the sugary snacks could be the UK’s next big trend.
Matt as a youngster in America, with dreams of one day having his own doughnut business as big as Krispy Kreme.
Teaching himself how to bake, Matthew persuaded friends Jacob Watts and Max Poynton to set up in business as Project D, producing handcrafted, highly decorated and cheekily named doughnuts.
Project D doughnuts are all handmade and decorated individually.
And Matthew’s hard work has paid off; he has been shortlisted for the national title Baker of the Year in the prestigious Baking Industry Awards 2021 (BIA).
It’s just one of a raft of awards the company has been shortlisted for in recent weeks, with East Midlands Chamber, Generation Next and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards each recognising the talents of Project D’s three directors.
Project D founders, Jacob, Matt and Max.
Matthew, 27, said: “Despite never having even baked a cake, I was brought up in America where doughnuts were a huge trend and I knew that would happen in the UK.
“I taught myself to make doughnuts and I’m proud of that. There are three directors of Project D, but I am the only one who bakes and I’m entirely responsible for our products.
READ MORE: Amazon place an order for 5,000 doughnuts with luxury bakers Project D.
“We still flip our doughnuts by hand, hand dip them and hand decorate each one. The range is changed every four weeks at least and I still bake almost every day. I am responsible for product innovation and standards – we pride ourselves on ensuring every single doughnut tastes as good as it looks.
“The last three years have been an enormous challenge, learning everything possible about health and safety, hygiene, processes, ingredients and baking. When we moved into our new bakery scaling up was a challenge and I have been responsible for training new staff, getting the new bakery ready for production and ensuring we kept standards high during the transition.
Matt at the current Project D bakery.
“I’m over the moon to have been shortlisted for this award. I look back at the photograph of me as a boy with my chef’s hat and doughnut box and think that my younger self would be pretty pleased with how things have turned out.”
As well as the Baker of the Year category, Project D has also been shortlisted for the Craft Bakery of the Year in the BIA, which is sponsored by British Baker.
And the trio have been shortlisted as Food and Drink Entrepreneurs of the Year and Scale-Up Entrepreneurs of the Year, in the Great British Entrepreneurs Awards, in association with Starling Bank.
Project D boxes are made to order and sold at pop-up stores when the Project D van travels around the country.
Project D beat off competition from almost 5,000 other companies to make the shortlist in the contest which counts the founders of The LAD Bible, Tangle Teezer and Grenade as former winners.
Founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca James, said: “We have seen some incredible finalists over the years, and this year is no exception. It really is one of the strongest shortlists we’ve ever had, and the fact that so many exceptional people have applied during such a tough year is a testament to the resolve and entrepreneurial talent that exists across the UK.
READ MORE: Derbyshire artisan bakery Project D launches nationwide delivery of its delicious doughnuts.
“Creating the shortlist out of so many wonderful applications was incredibly tough, so I don’t envy the judges who will now decide the regional winners. Everyone who has been shortlisted should be incredibly proud and we’re thrilled to be able to showcase their achievements.”
More locally, Project D has been shortlisted for the Breakthrough Award and Entrepreneur of the Year, in the Generation Next Awards, which are delivered in partnership with the University of Derby and form part of East Midlands Chamber’s new network for professionals and business owners aged under 35.
And in the Chamber’s own business awards the company has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Growth Award and the Small Business of the Year Award.
Talented bakers hired to produce Project D doughnuts.
Jacob Watts, Project D’s strategy director, said: “We are massively proud of Matt. Without his talent Project D just wouldn’t exist – he’s put his heart and soul into our doughnuts and we’re thrilled to see this being rewarded.
“The last few years have been an absolute rollercoaster for Project D. When the pandemic hit we thought our hopes and dreams for the company were in ruins, but in fact it was the catalyst for growth and I’m proud of the whole team for working together to achieve so much.
“We are really excited to be shortlisted for these awards. Being recognised locally is amazing, because Derby is our home and always will be. But equally, seeing the company get national recognition, especially by baking professionals, is beyond our wildest dreams.
“We hope to put Derby – and its doughnuts – on the map and this feels as if we are one step nearing to do that.”
This year, Project D has launched a UK-wide delivery service and the addition of a mezzanine floor in the new bakery will allow the company to triple its production of doughnuts which will enable them to keep up with demand.
Additionally, the firm intends to open a flagship store in London – they have identified a suitable site already – which will be a ‘destination’ and ‘experience’ where the doughnuts are as important as the coffee.
The plan is for shops in Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham to follow and the directors are in talks with several airports about opening kiosks in departure lounges.
Matthew added: “I am proud that we have made a product that is becoming loved across the UK, thanks to our postal service. When I first nailed the formula for doughnuts, I felt as if I’d perfected the code and I knew we could really grow our product into something special.
“My baking ambition is for Project D to become a household name across the globe and it would give me particular pleasure to crack the States having grown up there and knowing how much American’s enjoy their doughnuts.
Project D logo.
“We know we have to grow the business sustainably and we are taking lots of advice on how to do this. But I don’t plan on leaving the bakery any time soon. I like to be hands-on, and it’s stood us in good stead so far.”
Not bad for a landscape gardener!
ENDS
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