Sweet support for
health workers
UQ graduate thinks outside the box
to treat community in hard times
By Mark Schroder
In the dark, chilly pre-dawn hours before most Londoners have stirred, JP Then admires the box of handmade, freshly baked doughnuts in his hands.
Part of the UQ graduate’s joy comes from savouring the aroma of the delectable flavours on display, such as chocolate truffle, sea salt caramel and banana cream, and Tongan vanilla bean glaze – to name a few.
It's a mouth-watering selection few people have the willpower to resist, but JP is also pleased to know the person who purchased them will not taste a single morsel.
Instead, these treats are a selfless gift from a customer to exhausted frontline health workers battling COVID-19 at hospitals across London.
JP (Bachelor of Business Management / Bachelor of Economics ’07) is a co-founder of Crosstown Doughnuts, a fast-growing UK-based business renowned for its artisan baked goods and speciality coffee.
The business started in 2014 and now boasts 10 stores and 11 food trucks and market stalls, while its doughnuts are also on sale in larger chain stores, such as Harrods and Whole Foods Market.
The venture is a great success story, but the nationwide retail shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented challenge – one that JP (pictured) was determined to face head-on.
“It has been pretty brutal, but we asked ourselves what our strengths were what we could do to react quickly,” JP said.
“The result was a couple of initiatives we could get moving quickly.”
The first of those projects is called Doughnut Donations, where generous customers can purchase discounted boxes of artisan doughnuts, which are then delivered to National Health Service workers.
Knowing that other retailers were also suffering from the coronavirus restrictions, JP also created The Crosstown Collective. This second initiative banded together independent suppliers to create curated food boxes for delivery to homes across London.
JP is no stranger to problem-solving during tough economic times, having graduated from UQ during the worst of the Global Financial Crisis.
“When I started my first job in the economics division of a consultancy, we had 24 people working in my division. But just a couple of years later, there were only seven of us left,” JP said.
The overarching lesson JP has learned is to be comfortable with change, especially since he knew his future would be starting businesses as an entrepreneur.
“You have to be very comfortable with being uncomfortable, to pivot and react quickly, and that has been a real strength of our business,” he said.
“In Crosstown’s first year, the concept of being a wholesaler wasn’t even in our business plan, yet after 12 months, it was 75 per cent of our turnover. Six years on, it is now under 5 per cent.
“Another example is that online sales traditionally accounted for about 15 to 20 per cent of our volume. But within just a few weeks during the virus lockdown, it suddenly became 100 per cent. That’s how fast things can move.”
JP (Bachelor of Business Management / Bachelor of Economics ’07) is a co-founder of Crosstown Doughnuts, a fast-growing UK-based business renowned for its artisan baked goods and speciality coffee.
The business started in 2014 and now boasts 10 stores and 11 food trucks and market stalls, while its doughnuts are also on sale in larger chain stores, such as Harrods and Whole Foods Market.
The venture is a great success story, but the nationwide retail shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented challenge – one that JP (pictured) was determined to face head-on.
“It has been pretty brutal, but we asked ourselves what our strengths were what we could do to react quickly,” JP said.
“The result was a couple of initiatives we could get moving quickly.”
The first of those projects is called Doughnut Donations, where generous customers can purchase discounted boxes of artisan doughnuts, which are then delivered to National Health Service workers.
Knowing that other retailers were also suffering from the coronavirus restrictions, JP also created The Crosstown Collective. This second initiative banded together independent suppliers to create curated food boxes for delivery to homes across London.
JP is no stranger to problem-solving during tough economic times, having graduated from UQ during the worst of the Global Financial Crisis.
“When I started my first job in the economics division of a consultancy, we had 24 people working in my division. But just a couple of years later, there were only seven of us left,” JP said.
The overarching lesson JP has learned is to be comfortable with change, especially since he knew his future would be starting businesses as an entrepreneur.
“You have to be very comfortable with being uncomfortable, to pivot and react quickly, and that has been a real strength of our business,” he said.
“In Crosstown’s first year, the concept of being a wholesaler wasn’t even in our business plan, yet after 12 months, it was 75 per cent of our turnover. Six years on, it is now under 5 per cent.
“Another example is that online sales traditionally accounted for about 15 to 20 per cent of our volume. But within just a few weeks during the virus lockdown, it suddenly became 100 per cent. That’s how fast things can move.”
JP is very familiar with this fast-paced feeling.
Within the first seven months of founding Crosstown Doughnuts, the business went from a single market stall to being stocked at the likes of Selfridges, Whole Foods Market as well as in Air New Zealand’s Business and Premium Economy classes from London to Los Angeles.
On top of all this, he has also branched out from retail into the tech world, creating a new delivery platform called Slerp.
Unlike the existing marketplace services, retailers incorporate Slerp directly into their own website, rather than a third party, so that the relationship between the business and their consumers is maintained.
The commission charged to use this service is also significantly lower than its competitors, acting as a source of pride for JP in these challenging times.
JP knows tough times come and go, and has valuable advice for fellow business owners in Australia and abroad, who are looking to the post-coronavirus future.
A Crosstown Doughnut and Coffee Bar store in Soho.
A Crosstown Doughnut and Coffee Bar store in Soho.
“There are two main messages I would give. The first one is look to collaborate, don’t go at all of this alone. Just like how we created the Collective, we are leaning on our peers to get through this. If you get some positive minds together, you can achieve a lot.
“The second thing is to constantly think outside the box and challenge your preconceived notions. You've got to break down any ideas that you've had about what your business is and that's challenging. With Crosstown, of course we had no plans to sell fruit, vegetables and milk, but that’s what we did when we started the Collective with other retailers. You do what you can to survive."
With retail restrictions starting to ease in Australia and the UK, here’s hoping the future contains more opportunities to sample a delicious handmade doughnut with a freshly made coffee, and renews the joy that comes with these moments.
When that time comes, JP and his team will be ready for your order.
To learn more about starting your own venture, visit UQ's Ventures website.
Do you have a great story to share about a UQ graduate creating change in a time of need?
Let us know by leaving a comment below (your comments here are governed by Facebook Terms of Service and UQ Social Media Terms of Use).
Built with Shorthand