A woman from Merthyr Tydfil who left her 18-year career as a social worker to start her own business making pies claims “you’re never too old to become an entrepreneur”.
Clare Lewis, 54, is owner and founder of Treharris-based Hello Good Pie, an award-winning pie business which produces and delivers fresh, homemade pies across South Wales.
Deciding to pursue her passion for cooking – and spotting a gap in the market for good quality pies – Clare took the leap to start her business following a Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank.
Speaking about her £17,500 Start Up Loan, Clare said:
“I’d worked in social services almost half my life and I hit a turning point in my career where I felt like it was time for change. Leaving my job gave me time to re-explore my interests and cooking great quality food was one of those things! I’d actually always dreamt of owning my own business, my brother had franchises with Subway and Papa Johns, so going into the food industry was something I’d been thinking about from the age of 20. Without my loan I wouldn’t have got my business off the ground. I had my product, but I needed the extra money to put together my branding and buy my catering trailer.
“And I am so happy to say that the business is thriving and I’ve won multiple awards for my pies. Now I’m looking for ways to expand and find a bigger space to cook my pies from. It might have taken me until I was in my 50s to take the leap into my dream business, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I think you’re never too old to learn new skills, so for anyone considering it no matter their age, I would encourage them to go for it, they might be surprised to find out how many people want to hear their idea.”
