Staffordshire Oatcakes have been a regional delicacy for centuries but entrepreneur Mark Adams has found an innovative way to turn them into a business.

The Baddeley Green businessman, who also owns leaflet distribution company Street Level Distribution, launched The Staffordshire Oatcake Company in December 2020.

Lockdown gave him the opportunity to work on his business model, which involves selling packets of dry oatcake mix for people to cook at home.

Mark, who has a marketing background, worked on the logos and packaging himself and bought a century-old oatcake recipe from the former owner of an oatcake shop.

He thought he’d have a viable business on his hands but hadn’t anticipated The Staffordshire Oatcake Company becoming so successful so quickly.

Mark’s oatcake mix is now stocked in around 20 shops including Trentham Garden Centre and bespoke branded packs have been created for the likes of Stoke City and Port Vale football clubs, Staffordshire University, Keele University, Titanic Brewery and as wedding favours.

Online sales see Mark posting across the globe including to the US, South America and Iceland. He even received an email from Australia saying how emotional the customer felt to eat oatcakes for the first time in 20 years.

“When I went to visit friends overseas they would always ask me to take oatcakes with me. I know people post fresh oatcakes but I thought there’s got to be a better way of doing it,” said Mark.

“Then I had the idea of selling packs of dry mix with a long shelf life. I tried a few recipes myself before buying a recipe from a guy I knew who used to run an oatcake shop.”

Mark took some sample packs to a coffee shop and deli in Leek. By the time he arrived home the shop had sold out and placed an order for more.

He believes The Staffordshire Oatcake Company is the first standalone oatcake mix company.

“I had a figure in mind for what I wanted the business to achieve. I thought of it as a side hustle. The first few months smashed that initial figure out of the park.

“People love the product and we get a lot of repeat buying. Christmas is really busy. The challenge is getting the message out to Stokies who no longer live in the area.

“Once you have a brand that’s recognised you never quite know what might happen next. I see Staffordshire oatcakes as the last undiscovered regional delicacy.”

He added: “The business wouldn’t have happened without lockdown because it gave me the time to sit down and drive it.”

The Staffordshire Oatcake Company has been entered into the Small Business of the Year category of the Staffordshire University Business Awards and Mark has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year category.