Best Christmas yet for sister duo who set up Northampton baking business during pandemic to spread joy

A sister duo, who set up their baking business during the pandemic to spread joy across Northampton, have had their best Christmas period yet.

Tissys Treats, run by 27-year-old Bethany Goodfellow and 31-year-old Amber Goodfellow, was set up in May 2020 after they decided they had nothing to lose in trying to make their business dreams a reality.

Since setting up, the business has “grown and grown”. Where they began by just offering treat boxes which were delivered to people’s homes with no contact during the pandemic, the sisters now attend markets, fairs, and create made-to-order celebration cakes for special occasions.

Older sister Amber said: “The personalisation of what we offer has gone down really well with our customers.

“We talk to our customers as people and many of them are now our friends. Everyone appreciated seeing us during the pandemic and having a chat from a distance.

“Both of us find joy in adding our personal touches to what we do.”

The pair have developed a loyal customer base over the past couple of years, and shared that some have taken the time to visit all of the markets they have attended – with others ordering birthday cakes for two or three years in a row.

Tissys Treats has visited three Christmas markets this year, at Abington Park, Delapre Abbey, and Rushden Lakes, and they had a “great response at them all”.

As Christmas is the busiest time of year, Amber and Bethany have found it difficult to juggle everything – particularly baking to tight schedules for orders and market stalls, and fitting in festive activities with their young families.

Bethany has a daughter called Tilly, aged seven, and Amber has a daughter called Issy, aged 3 – the combination of their names is the inspiration behind ‘Tissys Treats’.

“It is hard to juggle but we love our business so much that we make it work,” said Amber. “This week I need to get everything done before delivery on Friday, so I bake in the evenings when my daughter goes to bed.”

The flexibility of their business is a pro for both sisters, particularly as Bethany has another job alongside Tissys Treats.

Though they have had to slightly increase prices to combat the rises they face themselves, Amber says this has not impacted business as customers still want to mark special occasions with cakes and bakes.

Christmas market prices remained the same and as their bakes offer value for money, they have not had any problems shifting their products.

Of what they create, Amber’s favourite bake is the Nutella and Kinder Bueno brownie, and Bethany’s is the Terry’s Chocolate Orange brownie. However, their most popular among customers, which always tends to sell out first, are Mars brownies.

Next year, now Bethany has trained Amber in creating their big celebration cakes, they hope to attend wedding fairs and begin to get hired by new clients.

The sisters are also saving as they would one day love to open up their own cafe.

To find out more about Tissys Treats, you can visit their Instagram page here.