Cake maker wins £250k after The Apprentice win

By Matt Atherton

- Last updated on GMT

Alana Spencer earned a £250,000 investment after winning The Apprentice 2016 (BBC)
Alana Spencer earned a £250,000 investment after winning The Apprentice 2016 (BBC)
Premium cake maker Alana Spencer earned a £250,000 investment for her Narnas cake manufacturing business from Lord Alan Sugar, after winning BBC’s The Apprentice 2016 last night (December 18).

Wales-based Narnas, which made luxury rocky roads, brownies and flapjacks, launched an online store since winning the investment and agreeing a 50:50 partnership deal with Lord Sugar. She planned to supply cafés and delis across the country.

“If I can pull it off, it’s going to be an incredible business,” ​Narnas owner Spencer said on the BBC TV show. “The future is looking bright. This is definitely going to change my life.”

‘Change my life’

Narnas redesigned its packaging for sale to cafés and delis, as well as packaging for online sales, Spencer said on the manufacturer’s website. She came up with three initial ideas and whittled it down to one, she added. The new design can be seen in the Tweet below.

“I didn’t really know what I was looking for with this – always helpful to a graphic designer,”​ she said. “I love being a vegetarian so much because it means you have to make less decisions in life.”

Baking out of her parents’ kitchen

Narnas was founded in 2010 by then 17-year-old Spencer, who started the business by baking out of her parents’ kitchen. After agreeing a deal to supply an Aberystwyth delicatessen, the manufacturer developed six luxury products that were sold in delis and food festivals across the country.

New business partner Lord Sugar said he awarded Spencer the £250,000 investment based on his “gut instinct”​.

Narnas rocky road (BBC)
Narnas rocky road (BBC)

“Alana’s business was interesting,”​ he said. “She’s grown throughout the process, and I think that with my backing, we can turn this into a very big business.”

Spencer created a new brand for her company – Ridiculously Rich by Alana – for the final of The Apprentice​, including new packaging and adverts.

Watch Spencer win the investment in the final of the show here​. The Apprentice​ was a TV show aimed at finding Lord Sugar a new business partner, as 16 candidates fought through various business tasks to earn his approval.

Narnas cakes investment – at a glance

  • £250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar
  • Company founder Alana Spencer won BBC’s The Apprentice 2016
  • Set up online store and redesigned packaging

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