A popular internet baker who closed his business for six years to look after his mental health has detailed his incredible comeback.
Rich Myers is the owner of Get Baked in Leeds and up until 2015, he worked building his edgy brand while baking in his mum's kitchen.
The business was going from strength to strength and caused an internet storm over its use of "illegal" American sprinkles sparked an outcry dubbed "Sprinklegate".
He told MyLondon: "People don't believe this, but this is true. We were the world's first dessert delivery brand.
"So you know how now you can kind of get dessert delivered on Just Eat and stuff. When we started that didn't exist.
"We were actually approached by Just Eat to be the first company on the platform, and we actually turned them down."
Get Baked was shut from 2015 to 2021 but while working in a corporate sales job, Rich decided to make a comeback and posted "Daddy's home" to his Get Baked Facebook page.
He told MyLondon: "So I just wrote on Facebook and I said to my wife 'if anyone reacts to this, I'm gonna do it again'. And she thought I was crazy."
Within half an hour of sharing his comeback post, fans flocked back to Get Baked's page and Rich received calls from newspapers wanting to know more about the news.
He added: "You don't exist for six years. I mean, you literally don't exist. And then you could just literally pick it back up. I mean, if anything, it just got much, much bigger.
"It's a massive credit to myself really, if I'm honest, because the only reason that's the case is because I've always been very, very focused around building a community rather than just building a business."
Get Baked quickly re-established itself and used its previous style of edgy and angsty branding to grab the attention of Headingley locals.
In 2021, Get Baked gained worldwide attention for the sprinkles it used on its baked goods.
One customer complained to the Foods Standards Agency about the "illegal" American sprinkles Get Baked used on its biscuits as the product used contained the food colouring E127 which is banned in the UK.
Rich dubbed the scandal "Sprinklegate" and after a visit from the standards board, he did remove them from sale.
Rich wrote on his Facebook at the time: "British sprinkles just aren’t the same, they’re totally s*** and I hate them. I am extremely passionate about sprinkles.
"I need to think this one over, we will obviously need to make some adjustments to the menu in order to compensate for this truly horrendous ordeal.
"To whoever reported us to Trading Standards, (Dan?) all I have to say is, dear lord, what a sad little life Jane."
After this rant went viral, due to the worldwide coverage of the bitter row in publications like the BBC, The Metro and CNN, Rich was flooded with offers from suppliers to create a rainbow-coloured topping up to his standard.
As of 2023, Rich's Get Baked brand has launched a nationwide delivery service for his bakes and has also written a Get Baked cookbook in which he reveals the secret behind making in famous "Bruce" cake.
Alongside this, Get Baked is branching out down south and will now be served in North London's Neighbourhood restaurant and bar.
Rich said: "We're gonna be supplying lots of other places in London as well, So you'll be able to get our stuff from lots of places in London. But we're not opening a physical store because it's very, very risky. Especially at the minute."
