Husband and wife bring in the dough after turning £200 eBay pizza oven into Devon’s own slice of Italy

A bricks and clicks pizza business with sites across the South West has cut its operating costs and is on track to increased pizza sales by over 100% thanks to skills learned through the Help to Grow: Management Course.

Pig and Olive was founded by husband-and-wife Simon Harris and Rachel Hicken after they purchased a £200 pizza oven on eBay in 2015. They had just moved to Devon after spending more than a decade working in the hospitality industry across pubs and luxury hotels and were looking for a new challenge. That’s when they spotted a gap in the market for classic stone baked pizzas.

The business offers authentic stone baked Neapolitan pizzas using local and sustainably sourced produce. It operates from two mobile units which travel across North Devon five days a week, a takeaway and delivery site in Barnstaple and a casual dining venue in seaside town, Westward Ho!.

Despite high levels of demand over the past nine years, operating costs had continued to rise and profit margins had reduced from 40% to 12%. Simon and Rachel recognised the need for external support if the business was to remain profitable.

Rachel enrolled on a 12-week Help to Grow: Management Course, which is designed to help business leaders and senior managers increase resilience, innovation and growth.

The course was delivered by the University of Exeter Business School – a recipient of the Small Business Charter accreditation that recognises institutions that support small businesses. It gave Rachel the skills and knowledge she needed to implement a new, long-term growth strategy. One that allowed her to streamline operations to reduce energy and waste costs. It also helped her to identify a clear mission and purpose for Pig and Olive, which is to produce the best pizzas, scale the company and support the local community.

Since completing the Help to Grow: Management Course, Rachel has grown her team to 28 people following the recruitment of both a marketing and operations manager. Their role is to help streamline processes and manage the day-to-day operations of the business. As a result of the changes they’ve implemented, Pig and Olive has seen its profit margins rebound from 12% to 39%.

With these managers in place, Rachel has been able to focus on the business’ growth strategy and increase pizza sales by 48%. Last year, the team sold 19,406 pizzas and are on track to sell 40,000 pizzas this year, which would help the company to increase turnover by 50%.

Rachel Hicken, co-owner of Pig and Olive, said: “I have worked in the hospitality industry most of my life before my husband and I launched Pig and Olive. Despite being very confident about my knowledge of the industry, I had very little understanding of operating and growing a business.

“While the business is loved by many across Devon, to keep the momentum up and cover our overheads we needed to put plans and processes in place that would sustain growth over a long period of time. The Help to Grow: Management Course has been pivotal in our efforts to evolve the way we operate and change the way we approach growth.

“Since completing the course, the business’ profit margins have bounced back and 2024 is set to be a record year for us. But more importantly, I now have the time to focus on our strategy and developing our purpose. I’m excited to invest more time into our vision and see what heights we can take Pig and Olive to.”

Michael Hayman MBE, Chair, Small Business Charter, added:  “The Help to Grow: Management Course gives business leaders like Rachel the knowledge and skills they need to maximise the commercial success of their business even in today’s tough market conditions.

With the help of experienced small business practitioners, Rachel was able to understand how to structure Pig and Olive for sustainable growth and then to implement the changes with confidence. This is a great example of the invaluable support that the Help to Grow: Management Course is giving to small business leaders across the UK. 

We wish Rachel and Simon every success as they continue to implement their vision and strategy.”

Business leaders can find out more about Help to Grow: Management and sign up for their nearest course by visiting: www.smallbusinesscharter.org/help-to-grow-management.