0:00:02 > 0:00:05Family businesses make up a quarter of the British economy
0:00:05 > 0:00:07and employ nearly ten million people.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12But a thousand small firms are going bust every single month.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Sorry.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16This business is on a knife edge.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18We're going to have to have to call it a day.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20For God's sake, do something.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22For family firms, it's not just profits,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25it's relationships on the line.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27£50,000 now. And you'll never see me again.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30I don't know if it's ever going to get better.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35You must see some hope. Otherwise, let's not bother with this then.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36I'm Alex Polizzi.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41I grew up in a family business that expanded from one small cafe
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to become an empire worth billions.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Now I'm trying to bring family firms...
0:00:47 > 0:00:49ALL: Hello.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50..back from the brink.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52This is a business.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54You're ruining your health, you're ruining your family life.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57He's just used to getting his own way and I'm used to getting mine.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02This week, a seaside business struggling to survive
0:01:02 > 0:01:04to the next generation.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- You've gotta let go, Mum.- She's not going to pass it over lightly.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08Will a controlling mother...
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Lou's got a lot of skills to learn before she can step into my shoes.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..and a family at odds...
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Don't talk. Do it, for God's sake.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19..lead to mutiny at the bakery?
0:01:19 > 0:01:24I honestly beg you, Elaine, to think about how you're going to work this hierarchy.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This is... This conversation has gone too far, anyway.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36MUSIC: "Peaches" by The Stranglers
0:01:36 > 0:01:4115 million holiday makers descend on Cornwall every summer.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45# Walkin' on the beaches Lookin' at the peaches... #
0:01:45 > 0:01:49And it seems all those who love food head here - to Padstow.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55It's packed with restaurants, delis and food outlets
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and home to the celebrated Rick Stein empire.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01It's known as the food capital of Cornwall.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I've been called to the aid of one of its longest-standing
0:02:07 > 0:02:10family firms, the harbourside Chough Bakery.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16I'm on this beautiful fishing harbour in a very pretty town
0:02:16 > 0:02:20that's become synonymous with some very good food in the south west
0:02:20 > 0:02:26and it seems to me that this is a very good place to have a food business.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27But all is not well at the bakery.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Five months of the year, we lose money. In March last year, we lost something like...
0:02:33 > 0:02:39Was it nearly 30,000, in one month! You know. Crazy!
0:02:39 > 0:02:40# Well, what a bummer! #
0:02:45 > 0:02:48They're the coldest, Harry, so I'll give you some hotter ones.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53The business was started 31 years ago by Elaine and Rob Ead.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59I had this idea of creating a small bakery in Padstow.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I suppose I'm the great visionary of the company.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Oh, lovely jubbly. We're doing Victoria sponges next week.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Mother is the boss. I'll give you that.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09She's definitely the boss!
0:03:09 > 0:03:15Elaine and Rob want to retire, so they've made their daughter Louisa the manager
0:03:15 > 0:03:20and put son Greg in charge of sales. But the transition hasn't been smooth.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25- THEY ALL TALK AT ONCE - ..Ingredients, stock use, samples.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Can we just get back to the whole idea and the point of this...
0:03:29 > 0:03:31This discussion and the reason why, you know, you...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33I'm just trying to plan.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Yeah, you're trying to plan.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Working with families. I don't know whether I'd recommend it to anyone.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Or wasting.- Greg... - That's the other thing...
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Let Louisa finish.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Along with the family frictions,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Elaine has had to remortgage her house to keep the business afloat.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Action is needed if the bakery is to have a future.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54This business is on a knife edge.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57If it doesn't change, no-one will have a job.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59We'll all be out of work.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Yeah, but you've got full-time staff,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04they've got families to feed, you know, they've got rent to pay.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08It's, you know, quite a responsibility.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Unless we do something different, it's not going to exist in two or three years' time.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17I've got just three months to try to make a difference and even though
0:04:17 > 0:04:22I've got some insider knowledge of this industry, it's a huge challenge.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I do have a certain amount of experience in bakeries,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28as I have a wholesale bakery myself.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30But I have never had a shop.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40My immediate impression is it doesn't make you want to charge in
0:04:40 > 0:04:42and buy your Cornish pasty here,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46despite the location being immaculate.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49The signage that tells you that everything is made locally
0:04:49 > 0:04:52on the premises daily looks very generic.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56I mean, I HATE that sign there and I hate that sign there.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00This is the only thing that looks a bit more personal.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Then, where is the product?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I don't actually have any product made visible to me.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Instead, I have this awful decal on the window.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12There's a broken window, which gives a very bad impression.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15There's a sign that's then printed out on computer.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I mean, every single day tripper who comes off a ferry
0:05:18 > 0:05:21is going to come just from there. They HAVE to pass this shop.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24They should be making money out of every single person
0:05:24 > 0:05:25who comes into this town.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28'Inside, there's more bad news.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31'Untidy signs and stickers litter the place.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:37They do have a real obsession with sticking things on windows, clearly.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43The bread, in a side window, looks pretty ordinary.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48'And the range of cakes and confectionary is a flashback to the seventies.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53'Not at all what I'd expect in such a famously foodie town.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:57They look really boring.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Hello.- Hello, how are you? Alex Polizzi.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- I'm very well, I'm Elaine. - Lovely to be here.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- You've come to help me make some sandwiches today, is that right? - Great.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11So tell me, you started this about 30 years ago.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Yes. I actually bought it 31 years ago.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I had the cunning plan that maybe we could open a bakery
0:06:16 > 0:06:19in Padstow as there actually wasn't one at the time,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- a production bakery.- Yeah.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26And I think I created a monster, to be quite honest, Alex.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- Course, there is friction, between family members.- Always.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34- Did you want to be more specific? - There's friction between... Yes, between Louisa and Greg, obviously.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37When they were kids - and nothing's changed -
0:06:37 > 0:06:39when they were kids, I used to just bang their heads together.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Bye, Edna, bye.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45'Elaine's daughter Louisa has been here nine years.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50'Part of her job is to oversee the production of their awarded-winning Cornish pasty.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- What is it that you're putting on? - Clotted cream.- It IS clotted cream. - A lot of people use butter.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Yeah.- But we've always used cream.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Um, my gran... We used have the milk round, so...
0:07:00 > 0:07:05My gran used to make clotted cream, so she always used to put it in the pasties.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I'm amazed that that isn't stated somewhere...
0:07:08 > 0:07:12When you mention a pasty, you know, darling, that's amazing.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- Yeah.- Who'd think that there's clotted cream in a pasty?
0:07:14 > 0:07:18'It's daft not to shout about such a unique recipe.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22'In a town like this, their products need to stand out.'
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I know this is an old family recipe.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Have you tried tweaking it...
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Have you tried... I mean, who decides on recipes and what to do next and...
0:07:30 > 0:07:33I have been trying to make curried pasties for a few years,
0:07:33 > 0:07:38and my mother keeps saying over my dead body, so... after the wake, that'll be there.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Louisa seems keen to develop the Chough's offering,
0:07:42 > 0:07:47but I can see escaping the shadow of her mother might not be easy.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51So, um... Answer the phone, somebody. Where's the phone gone?
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Hello, Choughs.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56If it's working, you know, don't fix it.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59That's, that's my sort of... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00That's been my attitude.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04They're both, and I have to say it, exceedingly stubborn at times.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08She's biting at the bit now, I think, to change it.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13But when they're both together, if they've got two different ideas around the same subject,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16then, oh boy, yeah, they're just butting heads.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18You...you... Well!
0:08:18 > 0:08:20At the end of the day it's her baby,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and she's not going to pass it over lightly, I can tell you that.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27The other contender to take the reins is Elaine's son Greg.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31He's a relative newcomer, only joining the business 18 months ago.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- Nice to meet you, can I come in? - Of course you can.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36There's a chair for you.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Most of the time he's not even here, working from his home in Wales.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I am the sort of person that makes decisions on the basis of facts,
0:08:43 > 0:08:48doing my research properly, listing out the pros and the cons
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and coming to a decision on that basis.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Do you think you're the brains of the operation?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55No, I wouldn't say that.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59What proportion of your time is spent actually selling?
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Very small, actually.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04But I've converted most of the people that I've gone out and done,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07so it's a quality, not a quantity thing.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10But what proportion of the business, overall in the year,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14is wholesale, and how much goes straight to the shop?
0:09:14 > 0:09:15Well, it was only 15% last year.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- 15%?- Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21A 15% wholesale figure is shocking.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And as sales manager, Greg should be ashamed of himself.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The Chough has a large offsite bakery run by head baker,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and Elaine's nephew, Ryan,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36where there are the facilities and space to up production considerably.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Greg's never worked in the business and he's come in straight away to a partnership which...
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Ryan and myself have worked years towards.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Um, the other thing is he doesn't know an awful lot about the business.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49He's not got a background in business.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Unfortunately, he seems to...
0:09:50 > 0:09:54He's over-confident with what he thinks he knows, which a lot of the time isn't enough.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59I see myself as, you know, trying to provide a guiding influence,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02trying to provide... almost like a consultant.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Four different bloody rental agreements you had,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07all having annual bloody increases.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Had you over a bloody barrel.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14Everybody, apart from me, the leaders, my sister, Ryan, they're all at the coalface chipping around
0:10:14 > 0:10:19and they haven't got the time to get out the mine and go, well, where are we going anyway, you know.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Yeah, OK, you came in and did it.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27It's not right to say that we wouldn't have done anything else.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32- Shush, shush. Yeah, please, Robert, you're getting cross.- I'm not getting cross.- You're getting arrogant.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38The family dysfunction hasn't escaped the notice of dad Rob, who seems trapped in the crossfire.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39The business has to change.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43It's no use staying as we are or going backwards. We've got to move forwards.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47They've gotta learn to concentrate on the important thing about moving forward,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51the need for agreement, and really, if we don't, you know,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56we could just have to sell the business and put the beast out of its misery, so to speak.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Rob's right.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04Swift action is needed if the Chough is going to survive into the next generation.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09And the company's accounts expose the cold, hard facts.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16In March, they made a significant loss of 16%.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Based on the size of their bakery and the size of my bakery,
0:11:19 > 0:11:24that surprises me because even in the very worst month here, we never make more than a 10% loss.
0:11:24 > 0:11:32'On top of all their other problems, the Ead family's business is being crippled by Cornwall's seasonality.'
0:11:32 > 0:11:3686% of their turnover is generated between April and October.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40We lost money in November, December, January, February and March.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45The reason they've survived this long is Mum and Dad have pumped money into the business
0:11:45 > 0:11:48to keep it alive during the winter.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50If they didn't do that, it would go bust.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54It's a situation that can only get worse.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Of course, there have been huge increases in the costs of various goods.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03Everything dairy. Fuel's gone up enormously. Packaging has gone up.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Flour has gone up 20%, so that, of course,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11does hit the bottom line, but this is last year's figures.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14It's clear that big changes need to be made, but other than Greg,
0:12:14 > 0:12:20I don't think the family realise just how serious the situation is.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23These accounts are not just for putting in the loo
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and using to, you know, fan yourselves.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Your bottom line, at the moment, looks quite profitable
0:12:30 > 0:12:34because you two, you don't draw a salary, per se, and it isn't shown in this profit,
0:12:34 > 0:12:39and you're still having to recommit your own money into the business
0:12:39 > 0:12:41to keep it going through the lean times,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and so the figures are completely skewed.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48You making your fantastic, award-winning pasties isn't enough,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and I think that has to be just clearly understood
0:12:52 > 0:12:55that there isn't any going back.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00The bottom line is time's running out for us two, really.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03I'm aware... I'm aware of that.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Transforming the Chough won't be easy, and to do so,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11the family will have to set aside their differences and pull together.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14We'll need to revitalise their shop and products,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17find a wider market for their pasties,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21and win significantly more wholesale business
0:13:21 > 0:13:26for their speciality breads, which currently are far from special.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29And that's the first thing I want to tackle.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36I've invited the next generation up to London
0:13:36 > 0:13:39to learn from the best baker I know, though I may be biased.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42He's my husband, Marcus.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Through here we have the production area.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50And over in this area, during the day,
0:13:50 > 0:13:51we're producing all of our tin bread,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and at night then we use this area for the speciality.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Marcus is a master baker following a long family tradition.
0:13:58 > 0:14:0014 years ago we started our own wholesale bakery,
0:14:00 > 0:14:07which now supplies everyone from burger bars to the Caprice restaurant group and Gordon Ramsey.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09How many people do we have working here at the moment?
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- About 50. - How many did we start with?
0:14:11 > 0:14:15- Just me and you. Back in the good old days. - Back in the good old days.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28I know Marcus is a stickler for detail, so this should help raise their game.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Let's try the large white bloomer.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36The cut... What I would say is about your cuts...
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Yeah, the cuts are a bit deep.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It's not necessarily the depth of them, it's the angle.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Because you've gone more across the loaf,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- the only way the loaf can grow is underneath.- Right, yeah.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49- That's why it splits. - Oh right, yeah.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50On your seam there.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55If you cut it further along the loaf, you'll get the growth at the top.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- Yeah, right ho.- Yeah, the flour from the top of the loaf.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02It looks like you're using a lot of improver.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Yeah, we do use improvers, yeah.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- Improvers are expensive, aren't they?- Very.- Yeah.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- It's the most... - Yeah, it is, yeah, yeah.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13So if we could cut that down, that could shave a bit off.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14This is your olive...
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Olive bread.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20You can see here where you're... where it's actually dropped down,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24- and your crumb here has compressed. - Yeah.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27That's not very good at all. And what's this one?
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Um, the untraditional foccacia.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Let's have a look.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It's a Cornish foccacia.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37It's very deep and er...
0:15:37 > 0:15:39- Slimy.- Little bit oily.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- When you bake in a tin you're holding all the oil...- Yeah, so it's soaking into there.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47..In the base, so it's just... It ends up frying, if you're not careful.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50You can cut down on the herbs a little bit.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54- They cost money. They're expensive. - Shall I get one of yours?
0:15:54 > 0:15:58This is quite dense. ..Please, darling.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00OK. This is one of ours.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04This is olive, and this is about the depth of a foccacia.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Yeah, yeah. That's really nice.
0:16:06 > 0:16:12'But revamping their bread will be pointless if Greg doesn't get out and sell it.'
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Do you want to try some?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16'And that will take an intimate knowledge of the product,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18'something he will currently struggle with.'
0:16:18 > 0:16:22When we started this business I had never baked bread,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I'd never sold a loaf of bread and I'd never driven a van before.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31You know, let alone him getting me to clean his 2,000 foot bakery, as it was at the time.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35I learnt how to do all those things because we really wanted to succeed.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39You need to make an effort to sell. Don't wait for people to come to you.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Every time a new restaurant opens you should be there, banging on the door.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45- Um, and Greg... - That's my job.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49'What is evident is that Greg doesn't have enough product knowledge,'
0:16:49 > 0:16:51because he's only there two days a week.
0:16:51 > 0:16:57For me, the knowledge thing is getting involved in the production of the bread and stuff
0:16:57 > 0:17:00because you need to have the intimate knowledge of how it's made
0:17:00 > 0:17:03and how it's produced and what ingredients go into it.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06You know, I will, over the next month or two,
0:17:06 > 0:17:12do days in the bakery and in the shop to get that intimate knowledge of production.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Bread is not the only thing that the family could be wholesaling.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28They've clearly got a brilliant product in their pasty, and,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33if they could develop a frozen version to sell to retailers outside the county,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36it could massively reduce their seasonality problems.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Lay six down this end as well in a minute, please.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- I can't do two jobs at once! - Didn't ask you to, dear.
0:17:42 > 0:17:48So, I've gathered the whole family together in the Chough's pasty kitchen.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51What I'd like you to discuss is whether you're going to try
0:17:51 > 0:17:56and find a solution to your frozen pasty dilemma.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59I think it's the level at which you freeze them.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02You're going to have to look at freezer protocols,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06health and safety traceability, which is all sort of like...
0:18:06 > 0:18:12- Well, we've got most of that now. - Let's all give ourselves a week off and do it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15We spend £150 million pounds a year on pasties in this country,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17with most sold outside of Cornwall,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and I want the Ead family to get in on the act.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25But coming to any sort of agreement seems beyond them.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I think the first thing we've got to do is develop a pasty
0:18:27 > 0:18:31- that can be frozen and bakes off first.- That's the first step.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Well, what is the legislation?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- There's tons. Absolutely tons. - I don't know anything.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39It's a big project, it's a big project.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- There is a thing called due diligence. - Can I point out something?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44You're all going round and round again.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48This is obviously what you do. So yes, you're creating more problems than you're solving.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50First, there's got to be a pasty.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- So... No, I suggest you do everything.- Ryan's got it right.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56No, darling, you don't. You give everyone a job to do.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Why don't each of you take one aspect of that,
0:19:00 > 0:19:06and then I would like us to agree that you will have all those findings to present,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10because at least we'll be able to make a decision and put one thing to bed, yeah?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Yeah, yeah, no worries, Alex.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14- OK, good.- OK.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21The interesting thing is, I'm not convinced one way or the other
0:19:21 > 0:19:23if a frozen pasty is the right way to go.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28I just want the evidence in front of me and then it's easy to decide.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32We should have it all ready and we can sit down and go, OK, this is the product,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34this is what it tastes like, this is going to work.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37She wants a solution which we don't get to.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38We never get to solutions.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Well, finding out all the information will tell us what the solution is going to be.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47We can't just do our individual things. We've got to work together.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It is a project, but we've all got individual tasks.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54- We're not all doing the same thing. Just get on with it.- You and your mother are like Punch and Judy.
0:19:54 > 0:20:00- We need to do something. For God's sake, do something, right?- Yeah.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06That's what always happens when we have a meeting, you know.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Lots of talk, no bloody action.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Let's talk and then, oh, we'll do it tomorrow.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Tomorrow is the big thing.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17You know, manana is a great buzz word I think, in the Chough.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22Don't talk. Do it, for God's sake, because otherwise there was no point, whatever, in carrying on.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24'They make difficulties for themselves.'
0:20:24 > 0:20:26They've just got to get on with it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28And this time they've got to.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I couldn't agree more.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36And there's one problem that we really must tackle immediately.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Come and look at this place.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41What do you think, standing here looking in?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44This is a mess. Constantly saying that front window...
0:20:44 > 0:20:49I come down after a couple of days off and we've got posters here, and I just go, take it out.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Just bloody take it out.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55But you're the one that says, oh, I want a sign in the window that says bacon baps,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59I want that Cornish Pasty Association poster in that window.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03So a lot of it is stuff that you've told people to do.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I think the important thing is
0:21:05 > 0:21:08let's do what we can now to make it all look better,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and arrange for a glazier to come and fix that window.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12Absolutely, yeah.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17- Today. It means you lose the decal. - You think so?
0:21:17 > 0:21:19It's stopping you seeing into the shop.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21- Yeah, I hate it, I hate it. - Do you?
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- Yeah.- Good for you. I hate it.
0:21:23 > 0:21:29- I don't like it.- But also, darling, you're an independent, family bakery.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Everything you should do should be pointed towards making sure that people understand that.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36That is the kind of thing that a big firm does.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Instead of having a decal, let's have our own bread in the window.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- It's our bread. - All right, yeah, fine.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47But it's a two-dimensional image instead of three-dimensional, real, fresh-baked bread.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I think that was very positive.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I seem to finally have got them quite fired up.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01It is frustrating, though, cos this is all fairly basic stuff.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05These are the first small steps. I mean, honestly, that window.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Who would have thought that it was acceptable to leave a window smashed like that for six weeks?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Really not rocket science, is it?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16But I'm hoping that this is just the beginning of the momentum they'll gain,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and it's going to take all of them to fully sign up to this process
0:22:20 > 0:22:22to make sure we achieve as much as we need to.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26And it's got all these nasty hooks and yellow spots.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Yeah, well, that's for the Christmas decorations. Oh, no.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31How long have you waited to tell me this?
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Oh, it's been a few years.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34A few years!
0:22:34 > 0:22:38I've wanted to tell you ever since I've been working here, but I wouldn't dare.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40OK.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42'Elaine clearly finds change difficult,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47'but if the business is going to go forward, then she needs to take a step back.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52'It's really important, darling, because the world moves on, and one has to move on with it.'
0:22:52 > 0:22:56That's fine. I'm not going to, you know, I'm not going to slit the wrists yet.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Good, good.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02'But Elaine needs proof that one of the kids can take it on.'
0:23:02 > 0:23:06For the last two years she's been talking about, saying, oh, I'm going to be 60 soon.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09I want to retire, it's time I took a step back.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But she can't. It's like she can't leave it alone, she built it,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17she developed it, she'll always be down there, interfering.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21I want Greg and Louisa to step up to the plate, to prove to me,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and their mother, they're ready to take over the reins,
0:23:24 > 0:23:29so I've asked Greg to spend more time in Padstow getting some hands-on bakery experience.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32And I've asked Louisa to focus on developing their products.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Let's go make pasties.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Louisa is taking steps to show she's ready.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46The family gave up on making a frozen pasty, but she's determined to crack it.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I think she can do it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51I am the manager down here, on paper.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56But she owns the business so it works like any other business, I should imagine.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00If whoever owns Tesco's walks into one of his stores I'm sure the store manager,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03if he tells him to move that over there, he's going to do it.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11We're going to part bake them for different times to see which gives the best results.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14'But the proof of the pudding, as they say...'
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Da da da da.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Wow.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Oh, my gosh.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- They look very good.- The pastry is holding up nicely, isn't it?
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Yes, it certainly is.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Which one shall we try of these?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28The middle one?
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Shall we try the middle one?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Doesn't taste...
0:24:32 > 0:24:33It's dry.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- It's dry. - And that's not got...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- The potato is too hard on that. - Chewy.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- I don't think we like those. - No, don't like those.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- It looks like a... - It looks like road kill.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Horrible.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- The pastry looks awful.- It doesn't smell nice, the onions. Eugh.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Just top it up.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55- No gravy. - No gravy, dry again.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58'Several pasties in, my faith is in danger of being shaken.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- And the taste, tasteless.- Yeah.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- This is one of the unbaked ones again.- Is it?
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It is, yeah.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- That's nasty.- Doesn't work, does it? Unbaking it doesn't work.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12- OK, well, that's one thing that you've discovered.- Yeah.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'Next up, pasties with a longer prebake.'
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Oh, that's better. Look at the juicy gravy coming out.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20The pastry's a lot thicker.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Yeah, this is tasty.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- That looks nice, too.- It does.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28- I think it actually looks a little bit nicer like that. - Mmm, that was better.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30So what do you think?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32After all this, do you think it's possible now
0:25:32 > 0:25:36to produce a frozen pasty that meets your exacting standards?
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Exactly. Yeah, I do, I do.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43'Hallelujah. That's what I call a result.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48'In just one week, Louisa's overturned years of procrastination
0:25:48 > 0:25:54'and developed a pasty that could finally escape the confines of seasonal Cornwall.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59'But it's not just the pasties I want to see take to the road.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:00I have a challenge for you.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- OK.- Which is...
0:26:03 > 0:26:07I would like you to try and sell your pasties
0:26:07 > 0:26:10out of a mobile van at a big event.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- The ways that you could use a van are enormous.- Oh, absolutely.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16You could use them at Christmas fairs, football matches.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18And you could do something throughout the year.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22- So are you up for it? - Yeah, definitely.- Louisa? - Yes, I'll be up for it.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26- Thanks, darling. Perfect, thank you very much. - That's quite all right.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30That was a real breakthrough. They've actually achieved something very concrete.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32They have a recipe for a frozen pasty,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36and they seem very gung-ho about trying with this mobile van idea.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I think a van is a good idea.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Car boot sales, people want hot food, and what's better than a Cornish pasty?
0:26:43 > 0:26:48- It's the ultimate convenience food. - A lot less trouble than making a burger or a bacon bap
0:26:48 > 0:26:50or something like that, cos it's already made.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52I understand we've got a long way to go,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56but the Ead family showed great signs of starting to work very well together.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03One thing we all agreed was essential
0:27:03 > 0:27:07was that Greg spent time on the shop floor getting first-hand experience of their products.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11But as the weeks roll on, he remains conspicuous by his absence.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20I mean, it has sort of been quite sort of trying at times down here.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25Greg hasn't really been down, so, you know, we'll just have to wait and see.
0:27:25 > 0:27:31But doing a full day, either in here or in the shop or... and up in the bakery,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36will probably help him understand sort of like the pressures on our time.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40He sort of is trying to do jobs that he's never done before, you know.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45He says, "I'm a marketing expert," and it's like, "You can't be a marketing expert,"
0:27:45 > 0:27:49"I've read a book on it." Well, that doesn't make you a marketing expert!
0:27:49 > 0:27:51It's like I read a book on brain surgery
0:27:51 > 0:27:54but I'm not going to go and cut someone's head open, just to see if it worked!
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Today, Greg will be forced to get his hands dirty.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06I want the whole family to test out if selling pasties at events
0:28:06 > 0:28:10could be another answer to their seasonality problems.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18I've booked them a pitch at a car boot sale in Somerset.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20There's a lot riding on the event.
0:28:20 > 0:28:26If successful, getting on the road could provide a real lifeline for business during the winter.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31Louisa's baked hundreds of pasties to flog to the hungry masses.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Right, let's see how long these little beauties take.
0:28:36 > 0:28:42Everything's pretty much set up. All the ovens seem to be working so yeah, amazingly, so far so good.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44We'll sell the lot.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48They'll be queuing up to buy them in about half hour.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57But any cause for optimism soon evaporates.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Things aren't looking good.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Well, this is slightly disheartening.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09It doesn't have either the number of stalls
0:29:09 > 0:29:13or the number of visitors that I was assured it was going to have.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Of course, there is a burger van here,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19which presupposes that they think it's worth their while to be here.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23Maybe it's going to get massively busier.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28The cost of just...just everything that we've baked to bring up today,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32we need to sell, really, about 300-400 pasties to make our money back.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37I think if we gave a tray each to everyone here at the minute,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39we would still have some left.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40SHE LAUGHS
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Not good.
0:29:46 > 0:29:47Not good at all.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Do you want a pasty?
0:29:51 > 0:29:53- Hello.- Hello.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Or a sausage roll?
0:29:56 > 0:29:57Chicken pie.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00I haven't got a chicken pie!
0:30:06 > 0:30:09'The turnout is a crushing blow,
0:30:09 > 0:30:13'but still I'm convinced there's something in this idea.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15'Mobile catering is a growing sector,
0:30:15 > 0:30:22'and smaller overheads mean profit margins can be up to 40% higher than in a restaurant or shop.'
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Is it quieter today than usual?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Very. It's terrible. It's never been this quiet.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Really? My pasty sellers are very disheartened and I feel awful.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35You know, the thing is you're going to have good days and bad days.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40- Everybody in the food trade knows one day they're going to make money and one day they're not.- Yeah.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42That is the ups and downs of anybody,
0:30:42 > 0:30:46so if they're willing to put in the hours, they'll get their bonuses.
0:30:46 > 0:30:52It's very encouraging to hear that actually it would have been busier here usually.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55The argument that some days you win and some days you lose
0:30:55 > 0:31:00don't work so well when you have a static shop that already you're paying rent and rates on.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02So yes, you can win and lose there,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06but you wouldn't want all the extra expense of taking a van out
0:31:06 > 0:31:10unless you're pretty damn tootin' sure you're going to make some money.
0:31:10 > 0:31:17'Expecting a rush of customers, Elaine and Rob have turned up to lend a hand.'
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Looks a bit thin on the ground, I'm afraid.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25'The family have gone to such effort, I'm determined that the day doesn't end in disaster.'
0:31:25 > 0:31:29It isn't working here, so let's move on. We're mobile, let's do it.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34'I've heard about another market up the road, so we pack down.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39'And then set up again ten miles away.'
0:31:39 > 0:31:41Right, what else do we need here?
0:31:41 > 0:31:45'Where things immediately feel a lot more positive.'
0:31:45 > 0:31:50- Can we interest you in a Cornish pasty?- We're warming them up currently in our oven as well, so...
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Thank you.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Come and try a Cornish pasty.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Couple of cheese, leek and onions too.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Cornish, that's five pounds please. Thank you.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01At least there's people here.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05We have some chance of redeeming ourselves and the disastrous start to the day.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Yeah, certainly, do you want just that one? OK.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Nice Cornish pasty, anyone?
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- Zero.- Come on, Lou. - I can't, my voice is going.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Delicious fresh Cornish pasty.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19'The pasties are soon flying off the shelves.'
0:32:21 > 0:32:22Eight, right ho.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25'Getting the attention of the punters...
0:32:25 > 0:32:26Five of them and five of them.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Yeah?
0:32:28 > 0:32:30'..and the organisers.'
0:32:30 > 0:32:33We wondered if you'd be interested in attending on a Saturday,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36- cos it's full of market traders, that sort of thing. - Is it busier than this?
0:32:36 > 0:32:40- It's a lot busier on a Saturday. - What's the sort of footfall you get on a Saturday?
0:32:40 > 0:32:43- About 2,000 people through on a Saturday.- Honestly?
0:32:43 > 0:32:46'Although we haven't got time to make all of our money back,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50'the day is ending in a much more upbeat fashion.'
0:32:50 > 0:32:52- We haven't made any money.- No.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55But we've been given some good advice by a lot of people, haven't we?
0:32:55 > 0:33:00I do think there's mileage in it, if it's costed up properly,
0:33:00 > 0:33:07obviously equipped properly, and, like, filling up the spare capacity in the winter time.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12'I'm thrilled to see Greg finally separated from his computer,
0:33:12 > 0:33:16'but I think if he's to earn the respect of his colleagues
0:33:16 > 0:33:20'and help the business move forward, he must do more.'
0:33:20 > 0:33:25What I did find quite cheering is the fact that you all pulled so well together.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28I think to an extent you have to be seen to be getting your hands dirty.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I appreciate you have different roles,
0:33:30 > 0:33:35and ultimately your responsibility is completely different in that business, from Louisa's, yeah?
0:33:35 > 0:33:39- Yeah.- But actually you can't just expect things to happen...- No.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43..without your impetus. Someone has to drive this whole thing.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48- Yeah.- You have to step forward and drive it forward, otherwise you're going to stay stuck.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55Ultimately, Greg is the last arrival to this business. He's fresh blood.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58He's the one who should be coming with all the ideas and energy,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02not quite so beaten down by the exhausting season that they've just undergone.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05So now it's over to him, as far as I'm concerned.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07He has to prove his worth.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16'Back in Padstow, Louisa is keeping herself busy once again.
0:34:19 > 0:34:26'She's begun a complete overhaul of the Chough's old-fashioned confectionary range.'
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I've just done a lemon drizzle and a chocolate brownie.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Kerry's doing hazelnut muffins. We're doing roasted banana muffins
0:34:32 > 0:34:35and an apple and onion tart over there.
0:34:38 > 0:34:44'And nephew Ryan is experimenting with some new speciality breads.'
0:34:44 > 0:34:48We usually do our ciabattas square, but Marcus had round ones and they looked nice,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51so I'm just having a go just to see if we get anything.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57'But, despite my plea, Greg still hasn't got his hands dirty at the bakery,
0:34:57 > 0:35:02'and what's more, even though Louisa's developed a recipe for a frozen pasty,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06'he hasn't sent out a single sample to potential retailers.'
0:35:08 > 0:35:11You know, why not see if we can find someone, Greg,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15- that wants to buy a small amount... - I've written down six potential wholesale customers.
0:35:15 > 0:35:20I'm fed-up of being told that I've got to go out and find customers when that's what I'm doing
0:35:20 > 0:35:25and then I'm told we're not going to...we can't, we haven't got a product to sell.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29- A very small customer that is only looking at buying poss... - There's two more here.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31You said actually both of them are no good.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34We've got a hell of a lot of other stuff that we can market.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39I mean, there's a lot of our customers out there that we deliver to, we haven't even asked them,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42"Would you like to sell our pasties?"
0:35:42 > 0:35:45I mean... Do they have pasties or don't they?
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Let's go round and have a look.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49I like Greg.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52He's a very personable young man and he's certainly clever.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54But it is incredibly frustrating.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58I've seen him talk the talk but I've never seen him walk the walk.
0:35:58 > 0:36:03He's promised me the Earth, the moon and the stars and I've never received any of it yet,
0:36:03 > 0:36:07and I'm afraid my patience is run very, very thin.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08PHONE RINGS
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Hello.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Hi Greg, Alex Polizzi here.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13'Hi, Alex. How are you?'
0:36:13 > 0:36:14I'm fine. How are you?
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Good, yeah, yeah, very well.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20I wanted to be told what's been happening and what you've been up to.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24'Well, I went down to Cornwall the week before last.'
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Unfortunately, we hadn't moved on much from when we met with you last.
0:36:28 > 0:36:29- Right.- 'So...'
0:36:29 > 0:36:33Well, sourcing potential customers is up to you, isn't it, darling?
0:36:33 > 0:36:37- 'So how are you with that?'- Yeah, it is. I've got a list of five or six.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41- Right.- 'But the rest of the family are very much,'
0:36:41 > 0:36:44"Until we know we can mass produce this, we can't approach them."
0:36:44 > 0:36:46'I thought that we were going...'
0:36:46 > 0:36:51I'm sorry, I thought it was decided that you were going to try for some smaller pasty wholesalers,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55'and I thought that was the agreement with the family.'
0:36:55 > 0:36:58It says on your card that you're IT and sales director.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02- Yeah.- 'And I want to see you setting up some sales appointments
0:37:02 > 0:37:05'and making sure that you carry them out.'
0:37:05 > 0:37:09You need the practice and the product needs the feedback.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14Yeah. So basically, you're giving me complete authorisation to go ahead and contact these companies,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17because what's holding me back isn't that I don't want to do it.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20I'm being held back by others who are saying,
0:37:20 > 0:37:26"Don't go and approach them because we haven't ticked the boxes we need to tick in terms of production."
0:37:26 > 0:37:32Let's see if they like the product. OK, so I'm putting this firmly on your shoulders, Greg.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34- Yeah, I understand that.- 'Yes.'
0:37:34 > 0:37:40So it'll be you who's letting me down if it's not done. You have my full authorisation.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44- That's fine, then.- So I would like you to do that, and then I shall smile on you happily.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47And it will be as if the sun came out.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50'Don't worry, I won't let you down, Alex.'
0:37:50 > 0:37:51'OK, thank you.'
0:37:51 > 0:37:53- All right, thanks.- 'Bye, bye.'
0:37:53 > 0:37:55'Bye, bye.'
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Well, she certainly gave me a talking to, didn't she?
0:38:00 > 0:38:04'I don't think it was fair about the frozen pasties.'
0:38:04 > 0:38:09Not me that's not going to, you know, it's other people stopping me,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12'but look, at the moment we've got no customers whatsoever
0:38:12 > 0:38:15'for this frozen pasty, so what the hell are we doing it for, really?'
0:38:29 > 0:38:35'If the bakery is to survive long term, it needs swift and radical change.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36'But progress is glacial.
0:38:36 > 0:38:42'Two months in and they're facing the sad situation of having to let staff go.'
0:38:42 > 0:38:43We've laid people off.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47I sincerely hope that this is the last year
0:38:47 > 0:38:51that I will have to lay off good, loyal members of staff.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59'To make matters worse, Elaine is put out of action by a bad back, stalling progress further.
0:39:00 > 0:39:06'My mobile pasty idea seems to have disappeared into the ether.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10'As for Greg getting hands-on with products, well, it's a familiar story.'
0:39:10 > 0:39:13I think Greg's in the office.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15I thought he was coming in the bakery today,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19so I'm not too sure what's going on, if I'm honest.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25'Improving their wholesale business will need a salesman with passion and knowledge,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29'and I'm beginning to think Greg just ain't it.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34'I've asked Louisa and Ryan to test his understanding of the new bread range.'
0:39:34 > 0:39:39- So, the new bread. - Well, some of it, not all of it.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- Yeah.- So...
0:39:41 > 0:39:45Ryan sent me an email and had a chat about it on the phone, so I should know most of it.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49I mean, obviously, those are our two standard sliced granary and white.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Are these new burger baps, sourdough ones, Ry?
0:39:51 > 0:39:56- They're plain baps.- Normal, plain baps.- Yeah.- But they're smaller than our standard ones.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- Little bit smaller, yeah.- Yeah, a little bit smaller and rounder.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01- What are these ones, then? Tea cakes?- No.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04What are they? I genuinely don't know what these are.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05- Brioche.- Brioche.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08These are the Brioche, are they? My god.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10So are they sweet?
0:40:10 > 0:40:14- I thought he might be better than that at what things were. - 'It is a bit frustrating.'
0:40:14 > 0:40:16I mean, I thought he did know a bit more than he did.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20I was hoping he knew more than he did, so it is frustrating.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25The boys are putting so much into these products, and we want to get them sold.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30What's the point in putting all this effort into the stuff and it not being sold properly?
0:40:30 > 0:40:35I think that's one of the areas Greg needs to sort of focus on, his selling and relating
0:40:35 > 0:40:39and getting a bit more excited about some bread, you know. We are!
0:40:39 > 0:40:41It's lovely, you know, it's fabulous.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44'I don't think it really properly tested my product knowledge
0:40:44 > 0:40:47'because we were looking at products that are still in development.'
0:40:47 > 0:40:51You've got to remember Ryan only started development last week.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55He was at Marcus's the previous week learning about them. I'd never seen them.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59These are our ciabatta as well. Fully baked loaf.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00Neh-eh. Start again.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09'I'd wanted to relaunch this business in a few weeks' time, but it's still in a complete mess.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13'So I'm heading back to Padstow to bring things to a head.'
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Greg has been talking for months, since my first visit,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20about coming and spending time down here and really learning about the products in depth
0:41:20 > 0:41:23so that he can be a decent salesman.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28All things being fair, we could have achieved great things here
0:41:28 > 0:41:33but I do feel that I am constantly put off with excuses, and it's very annoying.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38'Greg's inaction may be making my blood boil, but the problem's bigger than that.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43'The uncertainty around the future and whether Elaine will hand over the reins
0:41:43 > 0:41:47'means they're all scared stiff to make a decision for themselves.'
0:41:47 > 0:41:49I truly believed, after my first visit here,
0:41:49 > 0:41:53that this was somewhere I was going to be able to make a huge difference.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57I was going to be able to dramatically change their fortunes.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02And I feel like I've been stymied by the family's procrastination.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06'I've called the family to an emergency meeting
0:42:06 > 0:42:11'because I fear unless they tackle this problem, the business is going nowhere.'
0:42:12 > 0:42:17I wanted to see enormous change here in my time with you, and I feel like I haven't managed it.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22I feel like I've failed, and I don't think that's from any lack of my trying.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I really don't, because I have kept on saying what you need to do.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28I think the whole succession of the place
0:42:28 > 0:42:33needs to be discussed and who ultimately is in charge when you're not around.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36And, you know, I'll give you my opinion, for what it's worth.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39And I'm very happy to be shouted down.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Greg isn't here the whole time. You do an essential role,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45but you're just not, and someone needs to be on the ground.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Ryan, I don't know if you agree with me, but I see you as a more...
0:42:49 > 0:42:53someone who's very happy to work very hard, but more in the background.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57You don't particularly want to lead the business forward, and so I think that leaves Lou.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01There has to be someone with whom the ultimate authority rests.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04And what I've seen is that the person who...when...
0:43:04 > 0:43:08when I needed stuff done has always sprung to the doing, is Lou.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11It's nice to have someone who doesn't procrastinate and gets on with stuff.
0:43:11 > 0:43:17You should be very dynamic and mobile. That's the great thing about being a small family business,
0:43:17 > 0:43:22that you can react and do stuff and make changes instantaneously.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26And that's something that historically it seems to me you've been very bad at doing.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31Part of this has been hampered by the fact that I've not been operational for six weeks.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- OK.- But maybe the fact that you're not well,
0:43:34 > 0:43:38someone else does need to be in charge to make the decisions all the time.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41When you're not well, we need someone to do that.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44You're not available to do it all the time, you know, so it is...
0:43:44 > 0:43:49The trouble is, if we make a decision in your absence, if you don't like that decision,
0:43:49 > 0:43:52"Well, I wouldn't have done it like that, so we're not doing it anymore."
0:43:52 > 0:43:55It's not discussed beforehand. That's the problem.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59You know, like, things are altered and there's no discussion that goes on about it.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Um, you know, and I think more of this has got to happen.
0:44:03 > 0:44:09There's a lot of discussing that goes on, but the discussing never seems to really lead anywhere.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13- Absolutely.- I can't imagine how you feel about it because I feel sick.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18- Yeah, I do.- And I beg you, Elaine, to think about how you're going to work this hierarchy.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23- Ultimately, you have to decide who's going to be in charge, OK?- Yeah.
0:44:23 > 0:44:24'What more could I do?
0:44:24 > 0:44:27'I'm sure that some of that was very hard for them to hear,'
0:44:27 > 0:44:29particularly Elaine,
0:44:29 > 0:44:36but I honestly don't think that I would have done my job if I'd avoided saying it.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Let the cards fall as they will.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43It doesn't work and there does need to be one person in charge.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47Who that person is, I don't know, but actually, it can't be me.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49She's right. It can't be me because I live in Wales.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53So, yeah, I agree with her. I'm stepping out of it.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55To be honest, I'd rather work, so...
0:44:55 > 0:44:57So it looks like we've made a decision, doesn't it?
0:44:57 > 0:45:00No, I'm sorry, this sounds like a case of default.
0:45:00 > 0:45:06At the moment, Lou's got a lot of skills to learn before she can step into my shoes.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09- You've got to give her the chance. - I've got to give her the chance.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12But there's a lot of skills that she's got to learn.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15And the first one, she's got to show me a bit more respect.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17And she's also got to learn from me.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21If she's got an idea, we've got to sit and talk about it. We haven't got to argue.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25One of us hasn't got to stomp off, or the other one stomp off.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27All the toys out the pram.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30If there's an idea, we talk about it. We move forward together.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32We do talk about it.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Well, the trouble is, I mean, we talk about it, but a lot of the time you still won't listen.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39You know, you've got to let go, Mum,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42and I know you've got a lot of problems and issues,
0:45:42 > 0:45:47but sometimes you just got to let people do it on their own, and if they screw up, they screw up.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49But you've got to try and let it happen.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52There's been a four-year plan for about ten years.
0:45:52 > 0:45:58So until... The thing is, if you carry on hovering around, no-one's going to take that responsibility.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01So you can guarantee me now...
0:46:01 > 0:46:02All of you, £50,000 now,
0:46:02 > 0:46:05I'll walk away and you'll never see me again. OK?
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- Well, that's not what we're saying. - No, no, no, no.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11- That's not what we're saying. - We can do it without you.
0:46:11 > 0:46:12No, we're not even saying that at all.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16No, no, this is... This conversation's gone too far anyway.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19I think over and out, please. Thank you very much, gentlemen.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23- You know, I'm sorry.- I'm not going to go on with this any more. It's...
0:46:25 > 0:46:26And there we go.
0:46:44 > 0:46:45Yeah, it's quite difficult.
0:46:45 > 0:46:50I mean, Mum, you know... The Chough is so much about who she is.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54It's, you know, it's sort of like part of her, you know, like...it's like her child.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58- Yeah.- You know, and I just think she is finding it very, very difficult to let go,
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and in some ways, I don't know whether she can.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04The flaw in Elaine, I think she's a genius, what she does,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06but the flaw in her is that she won't let go.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10You'll have to drag her out kicking and screaming, and thereby lies the problem.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14I'm not ready for her to step away you know, but, you know, I think, you know,
0:47:14 > 0:47:18we've got to sort of push towards the future as well and towards her,
0:47:18 > 0:47:21you know, being able to step away, having the confidence in us...
0:47:21 > 0:47:26- Yeah.- ..to run this place for her, and for her to be able to sit back and take the money.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30So she has to relax the reins a bit, and you guys have to push a little harder.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33I mean, I think there's a combination of the two. Yeah?
0:47:33 > 0:47:36Yeah, yeah, I think so. I think that's about right.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41When someone's cornered, they tend to lash out and they tend to not think the thing through.
0:47:41 > 0:47:47If she doesn't, and Louisa turns her back on it and walks away, that's the business gone, for my...
0:47:47 > 0:47:49It's all been for nothing, then.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59It is a very precious thing, a business that you create.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03You nurture it, but there is a time when you've got to realise you've got to let it go.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06Um, and I don't think I'm...
0:48:06 > 0:48:09I'm not here for the sake of being here, you know.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13I've got a life to live, I've got loads of things that I want to do.
0:48:13 > 0:48:19'I really feel as though we've just got to...got to hang on here a little bit more...longer.'
0:48:24 > 0:48:29'Facing up to issues like this is one of the nightmares of family businesses.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34'But getting things out in the open can only have a positive effect.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49'As the dust settles, it seems it may just have done the trick.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51'Ryan continues to radically improve his breads,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54'and in a very welcome turn of events,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57'Greg has accepted his limitations
0:48:57 > 0:49:02'and called on the help of Ryan's wife Erica to bolster the sales drive.'
0:49:02 > 0:49:06'Obviously, through Ryan, I know what's in the products and how they're made.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08'Just made more sense.'
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Sounds like you two have very interesting pillow talk.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- I know, it's really sad. - There's 10% rye in this one.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18All right, well, I'll see you at one o'clock on Monday with all the samples.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20OK, cheers, bye.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22Darling, brilliant.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26God, how... I'm so pleased.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30- Well done, thanks. - OK, thanks.- Yeah!
0:49:30 > 0:49:32'Finally, movement.'
0:49:32 > 0:49:36One phone call and Erica has got an appointment
0:49:36 > 0:49:42to show off Ryan's new bread to the head chef of the biggest hotel in Padstow.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Et voila. It's that simple.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50'It's not just sales where Greg has sought to make a change.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56'He's also come out in support of his sister leading the Chough into the future.'
0:49:56 > 0:50:01Problem is, Greg, if she doesn't trust me by now, she's never going to trust me.
0:50:01 > 0:50:07I think she's always had more sort of respect for what you've ever done than me and that's always...
0:50:07 > 0:50:08how it's always been.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11She doesn't trust you, I don't think, in honesty,
0:50:11 > 0:50:15to run it, which I think it crazy, cos what I've seen
0:50:15 > 0:50:18is that you're more than capable of doing it.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22- Cheers. Here's to a much better working relationship. - Working relationship.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26'The overall more proactive attitude is heartening.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33'It's not just brother and sister that have turned over a new leaf.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36'The shop is being entirely refitted.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43'And what's more, Greg has finally followed up on the frozen pasty project
0:50:43 > 0:50:46'and sent a sample to a major retailer.'
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Inside here, ladies and gentlemen...
0:50:49 > 0:50:52'The feedback is very encouraging.'
0:50:52 > 0:50:53Here's our first batch.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02That is our new frozen product, and that, I believe, is the future of the Chough Bakery.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10'And the future also holds better off-season profits.'
0:51:10 > 0:51:12We've got here steak at 2.50.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15'With their new breads and pasties,
0:51:15 > 0:51:19'the family can clean up at Christmas fairs by going mobile.'
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Lovely, that's £5. Much obliged, sir. I'll just get you some change.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27What we need to do, I think, is get a series of these, like this,
0:51:27 > 0:51:30and then we must put them in a calendar of events,
0:51:30 > 0:51:34so every year we know when that time of the year comes, we're going to do these markets.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41And of course, a great deal of markets that take place in Cornwall, the ones we want to do,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45'are in the winter when we are having problems, you know, with our cash flow and turnover.'
0:51:48 > 0:51:53Would you like to come and try some of our bread? Elaine's famous baps.
0:51:53 > 0:51:58You want to hear the buzz down in the shop and up at the bakery, you know.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Hi there, would you like to try some of this?
0:52:01 > 0:52:04We have to reinvent ourselves. You can't stay still.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08- Thank you very much. That's £5. - Thanks very much. Don't forget your bread.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16'It's my last visit to Padstow. I'm here for the bakery's relaunch event.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19'The town's first ever Cornish pasty day.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24'And I'm here to see the new-look shop for myself.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27'First impressions, I'm thrilled.
0:52:30 > 0:52:35'The once dreary and messy shop front has been completely transformed.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40'It's stylish, harmonious and feels much more like an independent family business.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43'And instead of hiding their products away,
0:52:43 > 0:52:48'they're now proudly showing them off to the punters of Padstow.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54'Inside, the scruffy signs are a thing of the past.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57'There's a much more unified theme
0:52:57 > 0:53:01'that compliments a selection of far more tempting treats.'
0:53:01 > 0:53:02Hi, Alex, how's it going?
0:53:02 > 0:53:05It's looking great outside. Are you pleased with it?
0:53:05 > 0:53:07It's looking really, really smart.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09- It really stands out now.- Yeah.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13And it just looks very professional and very slick.
0:53:13 > 0:53:18And I think that, you know, now our confectionary range is just so much better.
0:53:18 > 0:53:19Oh, good, darling.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Um, you know, she really is... she is a creative chef,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25and at last she's out of that pasty kitchen.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28- Oh, it's nice, it's a compliment. - You know, it's really coming on.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32That's nice. I'm really pleased. Well, I think that this looks...
0:53:32 > 0:53:36I mean, there's a big change from when I first walked in here.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I know that there's a long way to go, but I feel very positive
0:53:39 > 0:53:43and I just hope that today works as well as it could do.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45This is Padstow. Never rains on my parade.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49'The sun may be setting on my time with the family,
0:53:49 > 0:53:54'but the townsfolk have come out in droves to support this local business.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57'And their Cornish pasty day.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59'The family have come up trumps,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03'laying on Cornish dancing, fancy dress
0:54:03 > 0:54:06'and a world exclusive.'
0:54:06 > 0:54:11Welcome to Cornwall's first proper pasty crimping competition.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13On your marks, get set, go.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Come on, Lou!
0:54:17 > 0:54:21'The local community, current customers, potential new ones
0:54:21 > 0:54:26'and the press have turned out in force to support the Chough Bakery.'
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Ladies and gentlemen, the Fisherman's Friends.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38'Even the town's most famous foodie, Rick Stein, who also sells pasties,
0:54:38 > 0:54:42'has turned up, clearly checking out the competition.'
0:54:42 > 0:54:44- These are...- They're good.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Very good, very good. I'm a bit worried about them, actually.
0:54:47 > 0:54:52Ha ha! You are nice. Thanks. It's good that the pasty has now become a protected product as well.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55I think it is. It's about time, really.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00I think we've been all too slow in this country to sort of claim what's ours.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02- I think I'm really very... - So am I.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Pride and satisfaction that finally something like this
0:55:05 > 0:55:08has been recognised as unique to a particular part of the country.
0:55:08 > 0:55:13Now that you've got to make the pasties in Cornwall, the economics suddenly change, don't they?
0:55:13 > 0:55:17- Exactly. That's why it's so important.- Yeah, yeah.
0:55:17 > 0:55:23Well, good luck to them, cos they work hard, they really do, actually.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27'I hope that the family can boost their profits by selling their pasties all over the country.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30'But now it's time for me to bow out gracefully.'
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Thanks very much.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34You know you can always call Marcus for any advice.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38- Yeah, yeah. I will, don't worry. - All right, good.- He's on quick dial.
0:55:38 > 0:55:39- Bye.- Bye. See you later.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Thank you, darling, you've been a star.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44It's been absolutely superb to have met you.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48I think a good healthy debate is good,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- as long as you actually solve something at the end of it.- Yes.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55- Thanks for coming down, you're a little star.- Thank you, thanks.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03- I don't need to wish you luck, darling.- No.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08Cos I think that, you know, ultimately one creates one's own luck.
0:56:08 > 0:56:09And you've done it so far.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- I wish the kids luck because I think they will need to pick...- Yes.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15- They need to step up a gear. - Yes, definitely.- And, you know...
0:56:15 > 0:56:19I think they're on the way, though. I definitely have seen...
0:56:19 > 0:56:21- I did.- ..a huge change in them. - Good.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24- All I can say is thank you, Alex. - So we're parting friends.
0:56:24 > 0:56:25Thank you. Absolutely.
0:56:25 > 0:56:26- Good.- Absolutely.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29- I'm glad. It's been a pleasure. - It's been a pleasure for us.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32What can I say?
0:56:32 > 0:56:35This has not been the easiest job I've ever done.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39They're quite a difficult family and it was quite a big challenge.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44However, I do feel that they've set off well down the path I laid down for them.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46They've definitely got a lot of potential.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48The future's in their hands.
0:56:48 > 0:56:57# Hooray and up she rises Hooray and up she rises Early in the morning. #
0:56:57 > 0:57:01APPLAUSE
0:57:06 > 0:57:10'Two months on and the shop and their products look great.'
0:57:10 > 0:57:13I think it's amazing that Alex has shown us
0:57:13 > 0:57:15what we can achieve in such a small amount of time.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18We've improved our products no end.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23'They're actually becoming artisans. They're getting pride in what they're producing.'
0:57:23 > 0:57:28I think it was the sort of, I don't know, it's the kick up the butt that we needed, maybe.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30'So the shop's in shape,
0:57:30 > 0:57:33'but is Elaine going to retire and hand over power?'
0:57:33 > 0:57:38- Hey, that's not bad.- It's looking nice, innit?- Almost symmetry. - Almost.- Almost, yeah.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42It's never going to be an easy situation between Louisa and myself.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45At the end of the day, we are actually singing from the same hymn sheet,
0:57:45 > 0:57:47but different verses.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50Both of us have got to learn to respect each other.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53'She's got a lot more confidence in me, Ryan and Greg.'
0:57:53 > 0:57:57'I've got faith now. It's going to be all right.'
0:57:57 > 0:58:01I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd