Friends of PWVC: Paul Baker

In our latest instalment of Friends of Private White V.C., we sit down with Paul Baker, the baker turned entrepreneur from Devon, England who in 2023 sold his business, St Pierre Groupe, to the world’s largest bakery company in a deal worth more than £300m. We uncover his early failures, his unshakable resilience and his passion for fashion, hotels and life-saving bandages.

PWVC: Where did you grow up, and could you tell us about your first job?

PB:I grew up in Devon, in the southwest of England, in a small farming town called Cullompton.

My father had a bakery there for over 20 years, and we were known as The Bakers! One of our catchphrases for our bread was "buttered but never bettered." I should have used that strapline at The St Pierre Groupe, but I never did. Brilliant :o)

Private White V.C.: Where did you grow up, and could you tell us about your first job?

Paul Baker: I grew up in Devon, in the southwest of England, in a small farming town called Cullompton.

My father had a bakery there for over 20 years, and we were known as The Bakers! One of our catchphrases for our bread was "buttered but never bettered." I should have used that strapline at The St Pierre Groupe, but I never did. Brilliant :o)

PWVC: So, you stuck with baking all this time?

PB: Not quite. I left home at 16, and my first job was at the Southwestern Electricity Board, which I endured for about a year. After realizing that an office job wasn't for me, I left to set up my own business called the 'Cocktail Club.' Living in rural Devon, I saw that people needed transport to get out and about to nightclubs on Friday and Saturday nights. So, I set up this business where I'd hire a coach, sell tickets, and bring people to nightclubs. I started this when I was 17, and by the time I was nearly 19, I had money in the bank, my own business, and was having a ton of fun. But then I made a couple of big mistakes.

I had a few years working with my father, but everything changed in 1998. At that time, all the big supermarkets were opening up, causing many bakeries, butchers, & fishmongers, to disappear from the UK High Street. My father lost the business and everything else. At that point, I had a decision to make: stay in bakery or pursue something else. So I thought, well, I'm going to build on my bakery knowledge with the practical hands-on craft skills that I developed and off I went to to study Food Science & Technology at Cardiff University. After my studies I got some invaluable experience in sales, marketing, & production and an opportunity came for me to work at Carrs Foods in Manchester. (We later changed the name from Carrs Foods International to St Pierre Groupe when the brand, St Pierre, started to gain real traction).

I joined the business in 2000, and in 2002, we had the opportunity to buy the business from the parent group, a big Italian pasta producer called Barilla. So, we did a management buyout which forced me to re-mortgage my house, max out my credit cards, and live on baked beans for a year! We had no money, but we had become masters of our own destiny. I had always wanted my own business, and when that opportunity came along, I was relieved to not be to doing it alone; I was working alongside a fantastic group of people who I trusted and it all started to really come together in around 2004.

PWVC: Who's your style icon?

PB: Well, anyone who knows me is aware of my love for Batman. I've collected Batman comics for as long as I can remember, and Bruce Wayne is a real icon for me.

I'm also a fan of Don Draper from "Mad Men," which is an amazing TV series. I loved the show so much that I bought the 1965 Cadillac DeVille that Don drives in the series.

Henry Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey, is another icon for me. We're actually making a film about him. He had an outrageous sense of style. While not all of his style resonates with me, I do appreciate military, classic tailoring, and the cowboy aesthetic. David Bowie was also great.

I grew up above the bakery, and my young life was punctuated by the comings and goings of a small country bakery shop. There were moments of pure comedy that I look back on with rose-tinted glasses. We would see such characters passing through day in and day out. At 4 a.m., we would have the police coming in at the same time as the local villains. It was like no man's land; all bets were off!

PWVC: So, you stuck with baking all this time?

PB: Not quite. I left home at 16, and my first job was at the Southwestern Electricity Board, which I endured for about a year. After realizing that an office job wasn't for me, I left to set up my own business called the 'Cocktail Club.' Living in rural Devon, I saw that people needed transport to get out and about to nightclubs on Friday and Saturday nights. So, I set up this business where I'd hire a coach, sell tickets, and bring people to nightclubs. I started this when I was 17, and by the time I was nearly 19, I had money in the bank, my own business, and was having a ton of fun. But then I made a couple of big mistakes.

I took some advice from a friend of mine's uncle, a bit of an entrepreneur to whom I looked up to. I wasn't yet 19, and he suggested I do a trip to Le Mans for the 24-hour race. Instinctively, I didn't fancy it; it required a huge outlay for the ferry, boats, tickets etc... but being young and impulsive, I said I'd do it. It didn't work.

Without any experience in advertising, I took some space in Auto Car magazine but made the classic mistake of underpricing my product. Page & Moy were my closest competitors, offering exactly the same package for £780, and I went out at £260. It didn't sell out, and I went in far too cheap. It was a great weekend but lost about £30,000, and I nearly went bankrupt. The important lesson I learned during this episode was to never underprice your product!

PWVC: What happened next?

PB: My Dad threw me a lifeline and said, "Come and work in the bakery," which I did begrudgingly after a three-year hiatus. I never wanted to be a baker or follow my dad into the bakery, but I had exhausted all other options. I told him that I'd only come and work for him if I knew what I was talking about. So I started my training. I worked during the night and attended college during the day, catching sleep whenever I could.

I had a few years working with my father, but everything changed in 1998. At that time, all the big supermarkets were opening up, causing many bakeries, butchers, & fishmongers, to disappear from the UK High Street. My father lost the business and everything else. At that point, I had a decision to make: stay in bakery or pursue something else. So I thought, well, I'm going to build on my bakery knowledge with the practical hands-on craft skills that I developed and off I went to to study Food Science & Technology at Cardiff University. After my studies I got some invaluable experience in sales, marketing, & production and an opportunity came for me to work at Carrs Foods in Manchester. (We later changed the name from Carrs Foods International to St Pierre Groupe when the brand, St Pierre, started to gain real traction).

PWVC: What is your secret weapon as an entrepreneur?

PB: Mistakes are where you really learn. I was fortunate to experience that at a young age. Resilience is crucial; you need buckets of it. You have to keep getting knocked down and keep getting back up. Sometimes, when you're at your lowest, you get kicked the hardest, and then you have to dig deep. It's not just about you, it's also about the people around you. If you're leading a business, you can't let your team see your doubts. You have to exude confidence because they look to you for that. It's tough, but it's a skill that an entrepreneur must have.

Vision is also essential. From the outset, I had a big end goal in mind. I thought differently about baking. I envisioned people all over the world enjoying our products. Eventually, that's what happened with St Pierre. We went global, and we recently sold the business to Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery company for a tidy sum.

PWVC: If you had your time again, what would you do differently?

PB: There's probably nothing I would change. All the events in my life happened at the right time. I've had good times, bad times, and terrible times, but they all contributed to who I am today. I wouldn't change anything. I've had a great run, and I'm still having a great run. I'm an optimist, always looking at the glass as half full.

PWVC: Who's your style icon?

PB: Well, anyone who knows me is aware of my love for Batman. I've collected Batman comics for as long as I can remember, and Bruce Wayne is a real icon for me.

PWVC: What's your favorite hotel in the world?

PB: I recently acquired a hotel in the Cotswolds and while it's not my favorite yet, it will be in the future once we've finished.

Today, my favorite hotel is The Bowery in New York. They excel on every level, from amazing food to exceptional service. There's a certain magic within the hotel. It might not be the grandest, but they do many things that set them apart, especially in terms of service. I've met amazing people there, like Taylor Hawkins, the late drummer from the Foo Fighters. It was just after the pandemic, and I had a 3 hour lunch with him after fortuitously meeting in the lobby. It's the kind of hotel where you meet incredible people in passing.

PWVC: Any New Year’s Resolutions?

PB: I'm giving up smoking. I started when I was 30 and I have been brilliant at it for the past 24 years. Now, at 54, I'm at an age doctors call 'Sniper's Alley', and I want to get out alive!

PWVC: What's your favorite hotel in the world?

PB: I recently acquired a hotel in the Cotswolds and while it's not my favorite yet, it will be in the future once we've finished.

Today, my favorite hotel is The Bowery in New York. They excel on every level, from amazing food to exceptional service. There's a certain magic within the hotel. It might not be the grandest, but they do many things that set them apart, especially in terms of service. I've met amazing people there, like Taylor Hawkins, the late drummer from the Foo Fighters. It was just after the pandemic, and I had a 3 hour lunch with him after fortuitously meeting in the lobby. It's the kind of hotel where you meet incredible people in passing.

PWVC: What gets you out of bed in the morning?

PB: Since I exited from St Pierre Groupe, I've been fortunate to only pursue things I genuinely love. As I mentioned I recently acquired Charingworth Manor in the Cotswolds, and we're in the process of transforming it into something remarkable. It's a 14th-century manor house with 26 bedrooms set in 56 acres. It's going to take about 18 months to complete the renovations. I also am a major shareholder in a feature film production business called 'Mad as Birds Films,' Additionally, I devote a significant amount of time to my charity, RAPAID, where we provide life-saving emergency bandages in taxis. These bandages can apply pressure and absorb blood effectively in case of severe injuries. We've deployed close to 5,000 bags into taxis across the UK over the past few years and I am proud to say we have saved more than a few lives.

PWVC: Any New Year’s Resolutions?

PB: I'm giving up smoking. I started when I was 30 and I have been brilliant at it for the past 24 years. Now, at 54, I'm at an age doctors call 'Sniper's Alley', and I want to get out alive!

RAPAID’s mission is to save lives by locating easy-to-find, simple to use bandages into the public space and work environments enabling bystanders, victims and first persons on scene to stop blood loss after knife crime, terrorism or serious accident. Visit https://rapaid.org/ for more details.