Bea’s of Bloomsbury is a cake shop that insists you take a look inside. This quirky-cool artisan shop originally located in Bloomsbury has now flourished into three tantalising hotspots in the City of London.
The brightly lit floating tea pots and the kooky interior, give a sense that afternoon tea at Bea’s will be sprinkled with delightful twists.Bea Vo, who trained as a classical pastry chef in high end restaurants such as Nobu and Asia De Cuba explains what makes her business tick and how she started her business.
Rocaba Blog (RB): Bea, you’re a classically trained pastry chef, can you tell us a little about what inspired you to open your own cake shop?
Bea Vo (BV): Back when we opened in 2008, there weren’t too many cake shops around or even that many independent coffee shops and I felt I had a chance to make an impact on the london food scene. I felt there was no innovation in my industry and I wanted to come up with new ideas for desserts; that’s what really inspired me.
RB: How important is the packaging of your cakes and how does it reflect the brand?
BV: Our packaging is essential, especially when we are creating cakes to be given as gifts. The first interaction is with the packaging so it has to reflect the quality of the product inside. In a world where high street chains are doing a lot of standardised products, our packaging is a welcomed change.The brand is grounded in the idea that every item we sell is made by hand with care and attention. To keep that theme we use cake boxes decorated with hand-tied twine and luggage tags.
RB: Current styles and colours are obviously an important part of your marketing strategy; can you tell us what the next influences are going to be in terms of colour and design?
BV: Colour wise, people are moving from standard white boxes to seasonal pastel colours and chocolate colours. Design wise there’s a definite vintage influence; so designs from vintage wallpapers and books, decorated with vintage buttons and ribbons. Glossy packaging has kind of faded out and hand crafted is the look we’re going for.
Bea has seen her business blossom from her one shop in Bloomsbury to two more locations in the heart of London. With her passion for handmade quality cakes and her dedication to superb packaging, her cakes are certainly on everyone’s lips.
For afternoon tea or a cheeky treat visit Bea’s of Bloomsbury, St. Paul’s 83 Watling Street London EC4M 9BX or any of her other two locations. For further information please visit www.beasofbloomsbury.com