A YOUNG bakery business is expanding into e-commerce to meet demand from a growing UK wide customer base.

Brown and Blond, which has its head office at Cattal near York, has launched an online shop following success of pop-up retail outlets and a growing wholesale business.

The business was founded by George Welton when he was just 18, with a micro bakery at his family’s small holding.

Now, aged 25, Mr Wrelton has brought in the help of his girlfriend Lucy Mardon, and expanded into larger premises, which offers great capacity to service an online audience.

Mr Wrelton said: “We are confident there is a demand across the UK for our brownies. Our online facility will give new and existing customers the opportunity to treat themselves or order our brownies as a gift to mark a special occasion.”

With the help of his girlfriend, Lucy, the Brown and Blond website has been lovingly prepared with favourites such as raspberry and white chocolate brownies on offer along with other flavours including Hazelnut Praline, Black Forest and Butterscotch Fudge.

Customers will be able to order brownies in quantities from a 4 piece gift box to a 20 piece pack, with flavours ranging from hazelnut praline and black forest to butterscotch fudge.

The move into online sales follows expansion in other areas of the business, including the success of its pop up shops which Brown and Blond introduced earlier this year. A recent sell-out stint at the Leeds Trinity shopping centre, and an appearance at York Railway Station earlier this year, will be followed by later in the year by one of its pop up shops making an appearance at the York Designer Outlet Shopping Centre in October.

On the wholesale side, demand continues to gather pace, with a growing list of customers being supplied across the country.

With Mr Wrelton at the helm, the bakery now produces more than 15,000 brownies a week using 5,500 eggs and a quarter of a ton of the finest Belgian chocolate.

Mr Wrelton added: “We have a passion for baking and as the business grows are determined to keep our standards high, listen to feedback from customers and continue to experiment to provide them with new taste sensations.

“As well as Lucy we now have three members of staff helping with the baking and if demand for our brownies continues at the present rate we will be looking to take on more staff in the near future.”