Lydia talks Flour Power!

Lydia Jones is a final year student studying FdSc Agri-food Marketing with Business who has taken her passion for food and turned it into a business, bringing sustainable food sources to her customers.

While at school, Lydia’s focus was on becoming a chef, rather than following a path into higher education. She said: “I trained as a chef for 3 years at college before working in my favourite Italian restaurant for just under a year. It was then I decided that, while I enjoyed the job, it was not worth the stress for the money.”

Lydia then began looking for an alternative route to pursue her love of the food industry. Knowing of Harper Adams through her sister, who had studied and loved her experience on campus, Lydia applied and joined the university through an access course which would support her to gain foundational knowledge and meet the entry requirements.

Studying business modules on this course inspired Lydia to undertake Agri-food Marketing with Business, intrigued by the sound of ‘a well-rounded, interesting course’. Having now spent four years on the degree pathway, Lydia still loves her course. She commented: “The Agri-food Marketing and Business industry excites me with the endless opportunities. I have learnt so much that I could apply to many different job roles and within my own business.”

Lydia’s business, Flour Power, came about as a result of her long time passion for making food and the ending of her placement year work role due to Covid-19. She said: “I have always wanted my own business, but I almost gave up on the idea because competition in the food industry is so fierce. However, Covid has given me hope that people want to support small business and want something different to what you can get in the supermarkets and chain coffee shops.

“My studies have been really beneficial in helping to shape Flour Power. The business and marketing modules have helped me set up the business, create social media posts, deal with customers, and be aware of time management for orders. The agriculture modules have helped me with sourcing good quality and seasonal produce. Likewise, I made use of the resources available and the connections I’ve made. Harper is very supportive and is always happy to help students succeed."

Lydia continued: “The response to Flour Power has been amazing - especially towards my brownies, graze boxes and scotch eggs! People have enjoyed my creations throughout the first lockdown and over the Christmas period, but I’ve decided to pause the business while back at Harper to focus on my studies. I’m looking forward to picking it up again once my final year is complete!

While Lydia has ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ her time at Harper Adams, she can’t wait to graduate and return to Flour Power. Her future ambitions include taking on another member of staff to help with order creation with a bigger vision of owning a shop from which she can supply to local coffee shops; a daily display cabinet with specials and classic patisseries; and to be able to enter the catering and events world with graze tables, celebration cakes and more.

To keep up to date with Lydia and Flour Power, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.