Galway bakery business proves Annaghdown teenager is one smart cookie!
A smart cookie from County Galway joined forces with his grandmother to create a successful baking business.
Teenager Jack Duggan, from Barana, Annaghdown and his paternal grandmother Mary Duggan are the duo behind J&M Cakes.
Operating from the home kitchen of Jack’s parents Lisa and PJ, the enterprising duo use family recipes handed down through the generations from Mary’s mother Mae Fahy.
“Nana’s house was always full of baking. Nana’s mother was always baking. They’d never buy bread, they’d always bake it themselves.
“It was passed down to nana and when I was at nana’s house in the summer she’d be showing me how to bake a few bits and then I’d try out a few bits myself,” said 15-year-old Jack.
He has been baking since he was aged nine or 10 in fourth or fifth class in Scoil Naomh Brendán, and selling the baked goods since sixth class.
“When I come home from school on Friday I start baking straight away, and then start selling on a Saturday morning. It’s nice meeting new customers every weekend,” he said.
As well as the business and social aspect, Jack finds baking “very therapeutic”.
“Kneading the dough and stuff. If there’s tough dough you can take your anger out on it,” he said.
As for Mary? “She loves it as well – it keeps her busy too,” he said.
Brown bread, treacle bread and stuffed cookies are their best sellers but they also bake apple tarts, muffins, carrot cake, coffee cake – Jack’s favourite – lemon drizzle cake and brownies.
“Trying out new recipes and seeing how they turn out is exciting,” said Jack.
They have regular customers who come every week, some as far away as Headford, Corofin and Galway City. They market their wares on Instagram (JM.Duggan) and Tiktok (Jmcakes19).
J&M Cakes is expanding with a new service soon, said Jack.
“We’re opening a cake shed in the next two weeks. It’s like an honesty box with treats and cakes. It’ll be there Thursday and Friday, and we will sell ourselves from the hut on the Saturday,” he said.
Jack is starting fifth year this September in Presentation College Headford but he has no doubt about what he wants to do when he leaves school.
“I’d like to open up my own bakery or renovate a horse box as a portable bakery,” he added.