B Corp, business and the rise of Hobbs House Bakery

When he gets talking about the family firm George Herbert’s enthusiasm is infectious, his mind jumping from thread to thread as he weaves the latest chapter in the legend of Hobbs House Bakery.

Dear Reader, 

We hope you have had a great week.

Today our main feature tells the story of George Herbert, who returned to the family firm that is Hobbs House Bakery after a career in telecoms with an uneviable task facing him - how do you take over a successful, much-loved family business with an already high profile and make it even more of a success?

When a business is in that position, surely there is only one way it is going to go - and worst still, everyone will be watching! Instead Herbert, who gives credit to the super talented team pedalling away behind the scenes at every opportunity, has seen the business grow and grow.

He reveals some of his secrets - which we can sumarise as spinning many, many plates at once, living up to B Corp values, and despite the success being utterly convinced a focus on continuing to better himself and his own leadership skills is a must.

As it is a Friday edition we have paywalled this one, of course. We agonise over this, but do it to reward our growing band of members and to encourage more people to sign up - all of which makes it able to for to do even more stories covering and supporting the county.

Have agreat weekend.

Please do send us your story ideas to andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk. Or telephone 07956 926061.

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* Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne; our sponsors Hartpury University and Hartpury College; our Founding Members and all our wonderful paying subscribers. If you upgrade to paid too, you’ll be able to see beyond the paywalls we place on many of our second and third email editions of the week and that lock our archive after two weeks. You will be able to view our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series, comment on our stories and you’ll be helping to make possible this community interest company dedicated to supporting the county, its businesses, charities and education and training providers — all for just £2.30 per week!! For commercial opportunities visit our About us page or email andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk.

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Engineering success 

🎉️ This image from the Enginuity Skills Awards 2024 has already gone up on social media platform LinkedIn. This is the team from Gloucestershire Engineering Training (GET), plus Nicola Bird and Natalie King from AccXel Construction, and construction firm Bell, which has supported GET in setting up its recently opened Forest of Dean branch. The training experts, which has its headquarters in Barnwood, Gloucester, works with many of the county’s very best firms from the engineering sector – from multi-nationals to innovative SMEs, and with an increasing demand for its services. Warren Thomas, GET’s CEO, said: “It as great to win, and great to be there with many of the people who continue to help make GET special. And of course, for those who training with us and the companies that push us to continue to become better – this is for them too.” 

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Some news shorts…

🏗️ Cheltenham Borough Council has revealed it has now signed a memorandum of understanding to secure the £20 million it announced last November from the Department for Levelling up House and Communities for the Golden Valley Development. This latest step allows the local authority to move forward to a meeting in July where is can formally ratify the deal, which will pave the way to drawing down the funds to deliver the first phase of the development. That first phase being the National Cyber Innovation Centre and the bigger picture being the Golden Valley Development, a 47 hectares site beside GCHQ which will also become home to commercial space, 1,000 low carbon homes, create 12,000 jobs along the way and help cement the county’s place as the cyber capital of the UK. Councillors voted in September 2023 to set aside £95 million to make the development possible. 

🎉️ While we’re on the subject of building projects, we thought we would tip our hat to Jonathan White of Quattro Design Architects, which has its headquarters at Gloucester Quays. White is a well-known figure in the county’s construction sector, not least because he chairs Constructing Excellence Gloucestershire. The group is part of the national network and draws its members from across the sectors – from planning, education, architecture, professional services, but all with a construction focus. White has just been elected chairman for the second time. You can read more on his LinkedIn post here. 

🏡🏎️ 🏍️ We couldn’t help but flag this one. If the sun is out, and you like to drool over either, a) beautiful pieces of machinery in the shape of vintage cars, or b) enjoy perambulating around one of the most beautiful gardens you could wish to find, then this event could be for you. The Classic Cars, Trucks and Gardens event takes place every year at Highnham Court, courtesy of host Nick Broady, with all funds going to the incredible and much-loved chaity The Pied Piper Appeal, which raises money for sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire. Due to take place on Sunday, June 9, from 10am to 4pm.

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Food for thought 

🤔 Here’s one from one of our Founding Partners, the people who help make possible what this community interest company does. QuoLux takes a closer look at ‘purpose-led leadership’ in the context of World Environment Day – which it calls “an opportune moment to reflect on the role of leaders in driving regenerative change and aligning business operations with broader societal and environmental goals.” The article explains how through adopting ‘the Good Dividends framework’, leaders can measure and enhance their organisation’s positive impact on the environment, and ensure their efforts lead to ‘tangible, long-lasting benefits’. Read it here. 

🤔 We thought we would get this one in before you get election fatigue. Ian Mean, of Business West, gives his thoughts on what he thinks businesses in Gloucestershire want from whoever coms out on top when we go to the polls on 4 July. An overhaul of the planning system, upgrade infrastructure, supporting investor confidence, kick starting the economy. Ultimately, a formal industrial strategy. We think it makes for interesting reading. You can make you own mind up by clicking here.

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B Corp, business, and the rise and rise of Hobbs House Bakery

When he gets talking about the family firm George Herbert’s enthusiasm is infectious, his mind jumping from thread to thread as he weaves the latest chapter in the legend of Hobbs House Bakery.

Andrew Merrell

As a young man expected to join the family bakery business George Herbert (pictured above, fifth from the right) did anything but, and only after university, travelling, and eight years in the ‘project development’ team at telecommunications giant Orange did he return.  

With 100 years of heritage in the business, a father at the helm for decades, and two brothers who found celebrity for a spell as TV cooks (The Fabulous Baker Boys), it is easy for Herbert to downplay his own role in the making of what has become a much-loved bakery.  

But he has been back at the family business since 2011 now, and his impact has been significant.

It feels inevitable he would have returned to the fold at some point. He’s the fifth generation to enter the business. Baking is in the Herbert family’s blood. Taking the reins as managing director, with his father Trevor moving to chairman, is something he didn’t do until 2017. 

And it’s an easy story to romanticise, although those who know family firms and the challenge of succession will know, as exhilarating as it all sounds, the sheer weight of responsibility, of expectation, and the politics can be significant.   

Earlier this year Raikes heard Herbert talk about the bakery’s B Corp status at a special event organised by fellow B Corp firm, QuoLux; about what that accreditation means – for the business, for its supply chain, its customers, and how it is informing Hobbs’ journey and key to its growth.  

It was that talk that inspired Raikes to get in touch and see if the managing director of the Chipping Sodbury-headquartered business would expand on some of what he said for this article, and he duly agreed.