A food-loving couple who poured everything they had into their dream of opening a sourdough pizzeria are celebrating their most successful period yet.
Partners Lucas Hogg and Caroline Davis have long been famed for their freshly baked produce through their business, Peace and Loaf.
But more recently, it’s their sourdough pizzas that have had crowds flocking to their Barrow base – particularly since the February re-opening of their dedicated dine-in pizzeria.
With sales rocketing by 450 per cent since the early days – when Enterprise Answers was a key part of their growth – it is now a case of grab a slice while you can for eager fans of the couple’s creations.
Caroline said: “We had pennies left by the time we’d invested in the work needed to bring our dream to life – but we were prepared to take a risk for something we passionately believed in.
“We’ve always worked with real bread and good ingredients – no chemicals – and we’re lucky now to have some brilliant Italian suppliers. A lot of our pizza ingredients come directly from Italian markets: mozzarella and beautiful fresh burrata arrive every week.
“We’ve been blown away by the level of support we’ve had from both the local community and people coming from much further afield. As proud Barrovians, it feels great to have created something like this in the town we love.”
Peace and Loaf has been in business for more than ten years, starting as a bread stall on Barrow Market.
Six years ago, they moved to a unit at the Trinity Enterprise Centre in Ironworks Road, Barrow, and – aided by a loan from not-for-profit business lender Enterprise Answers – bought their first wood-fired pizza oven.
Covid-19 hit the business hard, but takeaway pizzas and that trusty oven kept them afloat – and helped spread the word.
After the pandemic, momentum grew to the point that in 2023 they made a bold move – leaving their famous breads behind to focus solely on pizza.
In their early collection days, with a Saturday-only dine-in option, the couple and their small team would make around 60 pizzas a week.
Now, following a full revamp of the pizzeria, they’re making around 330 pizzas every week across three days – Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Given their opening hours of 4.30pm to 8pm (with an extra half-hour on Fridays), that’s roughly one pizza every two minutes.
For the couple, it’s been a journey of passion, graft and belief – helped by the right support along the way.
Lucas said: “When we moved to this unit, we were chasing a dream that at times we weren’t sure we’d ever reach. But we really feel like we’re well on the way now.
“Enterprise Answers supported us from the moment we moved here, helping us secure our first pizza oven and always being honest with us.
“What could have been an overwhelming and stressful experience was made smooth and pain-free thanks to their guidance. We can’t thank them enough.”
Their success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Grahame Latus, Chief Executive of Enterprise Answers, said: “Lucas and Caroline’s story is a perfect example of what determination and passion can achieve. They had a clear vision, and despite the challenges, they never lost sight of it.
“At Enterprise Answers, we exist to support businesses like Peace and Loaf – those that bring something special to their communities. Seeing them thrive and create such a vibrant destination for Barrow is exactly why we do what we do.”
If your business needs support, call 01768 867118 or email [email protected] for an initial chat.