Partner Article

From Side Hustles to Sourdough

By Craig Huntingdon, Scaleup Partner, RTC  

When I recently sat down with Josh Freudiger, founder of the popular Savour Bakery, Café, and Patisserie, I knew I was in for an inspiring conversation. Josh provides a masterclass in entrepreneurial thinking, delivered with humility, passion, and a healthy dose of hustle.

From his early days working for and managing an e-commerce company to launching a series of creative, customer-focused businesses, Josh is a prime example of how entrepreneurial talent can be incubated within existing businesses and how that experience can blossom into something remarkable when the conditions are right.

“I’ve always had an itch to do my own thing, but the autonomy and experience I had in my job gave me the skills and confidence to go for it.”
Josh’s journey began with mobile cocktail and coffee bars, delivering high-end drinks at weddings and corporate events. It was a coffee bar event in London that planted the seed for what would become Savour. A chance meeting with renowned pastry chef Stav led to an Instagram DM and, eventually, a bold proposal: "What if you relocated and we did a high end bakery together?"

The rest, as they say, is history.

What’s impressive is how Josh spots and seizes opportunities. While many see saturated markets or economic challenges, Josh sees gaps, then fills them with creativity, quality, and flair.

“People might not have loads of disposable income right now, but they’ll still spend on good food. There’s huge demand for high end artisan bakeries, especially in areas like Gateshead.”

And demand there is. Savour’s queues are legendary, snaking down the road as eager customers flock for their fix of premium pastries and aesthetic eats.

Josh isn’t just building a bakery, he’s constructing an ecosystem of businesses that revolve around two themes, creativity and hospitality. His portfolio includes a printing and signage business, a marketing and interior design firm, a cocktail bar, and now the bakery.

“I only start something if I absolutely love it. It must excite me and have long term potential. And I want to see results and see people grow because of what we’ve helped them create.”

This passion first approach has led to businesses that are not only profitable but also purpose driven. It’s a lesson for aspiring founders, build around what you care about, and the energy and authenticity will follow.

Josh’s strategic mind is as sharp as his creative one. When the bakery took off, he brought in managers for each business, along with a fractional CFO and COO. This allowed him to step back from day to day operations and focus on growth.

“We just had our first proper holiday in years,” he said, smiling. “Ten days away, and I didn’t open my laptop once. The businesses ran like clockwork.”
This level of operational freedom is a dream for many entrepreneurs and proof that investing in the right team and structure pays off.

Reflecting on my time with Josh, here are a few key takeaways other business owners can learn from:

Nurture entrepreneurial talent within your business. Josh’s early experience managing a company gave him a real world education in business. Autonomy, responsibility, and mentorship can shape future founders.
Back your passion with research. Josh didn’t rely on gut feel alone, he did serious market research to validate demand.
Build to scale from the start. From marketing to operations, Josh’s businesses are set up with replication in mind.
Surround yourself with talent. Whether it’s hiring a head pastry chef from Israel or engaging fractional execs, Josh invests in people.
Don’t go it alone. Support matters.
“Working with Craig at RTC North has been incredible, there were so many challenges and doubters, but Craig believed in me. His experience in hospitality and his advice gave me the confidence to keep going.”
Josh’s story is still being written. It’s about vision, resilience, and building something that brings joy to customers and to the creator himself.

“We want to be the Gucci of bakeries, we’ve built the brand to be copy and pasted nationally, without compromising on quality. That’s the dream.”
To find out why people are queuing round the corner to visit Savour, visit the website and pay them a visit: savourbakecafe.com

And if you want to benefit from the support of a Scaleup Partner like Josh has, get in touch with us!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by RTC North .