Family Business with Joanne Hunter

Join your host Emma and her clown Barbara talking all things family business and gingerbread.  How do  you run a business successfully that was established in 1854?  How do you keep a team together in challenging times?  How good would Barbara be at talking to Americans?  How do you get the and keep a worldwide customer base happy?

Follow Joanne

Facebook – SarahNelsonsGrasmereGingerbread

Insta - @grasmeregingerbread

Twitter – bestgingerbread

About Joanne

Completely unique business, Grasmere Gingerbread is unique and is only available from us and was established in 1854.  The recipe is a secret – I do not know it!

I am 3rd generation of my family to work in the business, been in our family for over 90 years, now my daughter Yasmine (24) now works alongside me.  The business is part of my DNA and that of my family, my other daughter once asked me on route to a photo shot for the business (she was only 4 at the time), “Mummy is all the world made of GB?” I don’t run the business textbook style. I don’t know what the bottom line is… my husband deals with all the accountancy stuff.  I am driven by passion… do what I think/feel is right and good.

Do my marketing through by natural storytelling and not driven by sales so not the normal or text book or academic application to business, but hey 166 years on. And since I took it on in 2000 the company has grown so much, started with 3 full-time staff and one seasonal.  At present 17 and before Covid several vacancies…

We also do lots of nice things for our staff…

The business is different, the product is, and so are we!