Cakes by Alli-Baba named the best in Scotland

A Laurencekirk specialty baker’s products have been named the Best Baked in Scotland in the 2018 Scotland’s Business Awards.

Allison Stewart, owner of Cakes by Alli-Baba, picked up the top award ahead of 13 other regional finalists from across Scotland. The win follows on from Allison coming out top in the Aberdeen Region Awards which were presented earlier this year.

Cakes by Alli-Baba specialises in cakes and sweet treats with a range which covers everything from one-off wedding cakes and cakes for birthdays, christenings and other special occasions to the supply of home-made baked goods to shops and cafes across Aberdeenshire and special deliveries to offices and other commercial premises.

“I was absolutely thrilled to win the national award and to bring it home to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire,” said Alli. “To win the regional award after turning this into a full-time business less than a year ago was a huge achievement for me. I never expected that I would then go on to become the overall national winner.

“I’m absolutely passionate about what I do, and I love my work. It’s all about the customers and what I can do for them and it’s really humbling that they believe in me and like my products so much that they’ve helped me achieve this.”

Scotland’s Business Awards recognise the best in business across the country. Businesses are nominated by and voted for by the public, but finalists are also visited by the judging panel.

Alli started Cakes by Alli-Baba in 2011, working on a part-time basis as a hobby from a home kitchen. When the growing business outgrew even a kitchen extension, she moved into a custom-built bakery in Laurencekirk in 2017 to work on a full-time basis.

Her successes have already attracted the attention of the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. In March, Angus, North and Mearns MSP Mairi Gougeon put forward a motion congratulating Cakes by Alli-Baba’s success in the regional final. North East MSP Liam Kerr has now followed that up with a motion congratulating Alli on the national win and commending Scotland’s Business Awards for highlighting the economic importance of small businesses.