{"id":4290,"date":"2019-08-23T16:14:29","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T15:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restaurantsbrighton.co.uk\/jobs\/?p=4290"},"modified":"2025-07-28T07:27:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:27:36","slug":"oli-hyde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restaurantsbrighton.co.uk\/jobs\/blog\/oli-hyde\/","title":{"rendered":"Oli Hyde, The Flour Pot Bakery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brighton Hospitality | Oli Hyde<\/h2>\n

Local hospitality entrepreneur Oli Hyde<\/a>, a founder and managing director of Brighton & Hove\u2019s The Flour Pot Bakery talks about hard work, the influencers in his career and owning a business in Brighton.<\/p>\n

\"donuts,<\/p>\n

Sum up your work life right now in one sentence.<\/h2>\n

I work hard doing something I love with people I respect and admire \u2013 it doesn\u2019t get better than that.<\/p>\n

What do you think is the best thing about running your business?<\/h2>\n

Running your own business is a lot of responsibility, especially when you employ people, and it means you are never really on downtime because there is always something else you can do and improve.
\nBut, working for yourself or building your own business gives you freedom and control over your own destiny. The hard work, time and sacrifices are worth it for the autonomy and hopefully for success in the end.<\/p>\n

\"croissants,<\/p>\n

What do you think is the best thing about running your business in Brighton?<\/h2>\n

Brighton is a microcosm. It has every key food customer demographic – city, families, tourists, students and retirees. The Flour Pot appeals to each of these hugely important groups by focusing on fresh handcrafted produce and excellent seven days a week service. Great food and hospitality are a part of the experience of living in and visiting Brighton so business like ours can thrive here.<\/p>\n

What inspired the Flour Pot Bakery brand?<\/h2>\n

My good friend Brad Jacobson the Founder and \u2018then-owner\u2019 of Small Batch Coffee<\/a> needed a food solution for his soon to be expanding roasting and espresso business. I was running The Mesmerist<\/a> at the time and over an ice-cold Corona, we agreed to start supplying his first and only shop on Goldstone Villas in Hove with Breakfast products. Shortly after that, The Flour Pot<\/a> brand and the retail concept was born. Brighton designers, Filthy Media<\/a>, came on board and helped us develop the logo and brand identity you see today.<\/p>\n

\"coffee,<\/p>\n

When did you realise you wanted to work in hospitality?<\/h2>\n

From a young age, my ambition was always to open my own restaurant. <\/strong><\/p>\n

My parents were real foodies and exposed my sisters and me to amazing food made with fresh seasonal ingredients at home where we took turns being in charge of menus and cooking; I even chose a restaurant theme, staffed by mum and dad, for my 11th birthday.<\/p>\n

In the late eighties, modern casual food restaurants were emerging in New Zealand and I have vivid memories of been taken to a trailblazing family restaurant called Armadillo in Wellington. I absolutely loved it.
\nThe staff were like rock stars to me, they served this great Fusion \u2018Tex Mex\u2019 style menu with so much personality.
\nI\u2019ll never forget this waiter asking me:
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s your name dude?\u201d
\nI replied: \u201cOli Hyde\u201d and, much to my Mum\u2019s horror, he took my knife and carved my name on the restaurant table in front of me – what a legend!
\nI knew exactly what I wanted to do at that moment! I just wish I could thank him now for that!<\/p>\n

\"Pastrami,<\/p>\n

How and where did you train in hospitality? Was there any particular reason for that path?<\/h2>\n

Dyslexia had a big impact on me as a kid and made school pretty hard going. By the time I was doing my A-Levels in Hong Kong I\u2019d had enough and I decided to move into hospitality full-time.
\nI worked front of house in cocktail bars and restaurants for ten years in Hong Kong and the UK before training as a chef\u00a0at Brighton\u2019s Terre \u00e0 Terre<\/a> and One Paston Place.<\/p>\n

Both gave me the grounding and skills I needed to start developing my own style of cooking and I ultimately went on to run my own kitchens and catering company as well as popular late-night bars and nightclubs.<\/p>\n

Which colleague or mentor has been the biggest influence?<\/h2>\n

My Father, Kevin Hyde, was my foundational influence and mentor. His belief and encouragement were central to me following my professional dreams. He taught me about working hard and that making mistakes was not only part of the journey, but a valuable lesson in learning how to pivot in business.<\/p>\n

Dad is retired now but, true to form, I continue to surround myself with people far smarter than me!
\nMy sister, Dani, now works along side me as my full-time business strategist and advisor \u2013 long may this family tradition continue! Apart from my amazing wife Jasminve, I have a few local legends thank as they have all influenced my approach to carving out a career in Food Production, Service and Hospitality.
\nThey are Amanda Powley \u2013 Terre a Terre<\/a>; Paul Morgan \u2013 Fourth and Church<\/a>; Brad Jacobson \u2013 Small Batch Coffee<\/a>; Craig Watson \u2013 The Flour Pot<\/a>; Mike Bremner \u2013 64\u00b0<\/a>; Anthony Prior \u2013 Bagelman; and Dariush and Lou Lou Tamdon Nejad \u2013 The Flour Pot; Tim Wallsgrove \u2013 The Mesmerist<\/a>; Kenny Boyle – Hawksmoor and the awesome Lilly Borne \u2013 The Flour Pot.<\/p>\n

What is the Oli Hyde mindset or philosophy and how has this seen your business develop? What motivates you?<\/h2>\n

\u201cMake sure you are never too big for a small job and you\u2019ll never be too small for a big job.\u201d
\nThis applies to me, my team and the business; it sums up so much about building The Flour Pot brand. We started from the ground up and got our hands dirty – I have cooked, baked, cleaned, driven, built and served; and I expect our senior staff to muck in, be multi-faceted and problem solve too.
\nAs a wholesale and retail business, we have customers that spend a few pounds and others spending tens of thousands. Valuing both ends of the spectrum equally means we keep our products and standards of service high across the business.
\nI am motivated by the challenge of building a talented and effective team; inspiring others to exceed their potential; developing new products with our chefs<\/a> and bakers, and planning for the exciting future The Flour Pot will have.<\/p>\n

If there was something in the industry you could change what would that be?<\/h2>\n

Alongside a reduction in business rates and high street rents, which are a major cause of instability for Britain\u2019s retailers, a review of VAT in food retail and hospitality is desperately needed. The idea that piping a chocolate face on a ginger biscuit carries VAT and one without a smile doesn\u2019t make any sense to me at all!
\nLikewise, that a lightly toasted sandwich is vat-able but served cold it\u2019s not causing more headaches than you would imagine.
\nI would like to see what the impact would be for VAT on all prepared food standardised to 5% across the board whether fresh or frozen, eat in or out, eat hot or cold, with or without service.
\nIn the long run, it will help businesses and most importantly – drive better value for the consumers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Tell us something you wish you had been told at the start of your career?<\/h2>\n

I was lucky with the advice I did get. The day I turned 20 my Dad told me that the next 10 years are about building a body of experience to take into your career. I didn\u2019t really get it at the time, but it made sense later.
\nIf at 20 you don\u2019t usually know what you want to do in life and that\u2019s totally fine.
\nMy advice would be to do something that interests you and take pride in it. The career part will be the by-product of working hard, being true to yourself and wanting to be the best at what you do.<\/p>\n

What tips could you give to aspirational business owners?<\/h2>\n

Believe in yourself and your product or service.
\nShare your vision, be open to advice and keep developing your ideas.
\nNever take \u2018no\u2019 for an answer when it comes to funding, there is always a way if your ideas are meant to fly.<\/p>\n

Making mistakes and struggling through inevitable failures in business are pivotal moments. It\u2019s up to you to navigate the business back on course when they happen. Learn from them.
\nAlways \u2018say what you mean\u2019 and \u2018do what you say\u2019. You will be judged on your actions and your business is a reflection of your core values.<\/p>\n

When a CV is sent to you, what is it that you look for? What makes you want to interview a candidate?<\/h2>\n

Thankfully, I don\u2019t personally see as many CV\u2019s as I have in the past. But the rules are the same. Be straightforward, be professional, be relevant, be targeted.
\nCreativity and style can be added features, but your CV should be easy to read and understand; it should be properly formatted and spell-checked; it should be relevant to the role being applied for (you must have the required skill set or a very good reason to be considered otherwise); and it should be targeted to the employer (we can tell when it is just a blind application).
\nWe always do a phone interview before inviting someone to come in for a one to one. We would expect candidates to be compelling in both interviews and\u2026.. Never be late!<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

What did you want to do when you were growing up?<\/h2>\n

I wish I could say I wanted to own an Artisan Bakery on the South Coast of England and employ over 100 amazing people by the year 2020. The truth is I didn\u2019t know.
\nAt one point thought I wanted to be a farmer, but only when I realised I would never be a professional skateboarder. Hospitality has always been good to me, it\u2019s kept me honest, allowed me to build skill and it\u2019s provided a living for me and my family for over 25 years now.<\/p>\n

What do you think you would be doing if you weren\u2019t the owner of Flour Pot?<\/h2>\n

I have been a bartender<\/a> for 30 years, a chef<\/a> for 20 years, a husband and father for 18 years, a local business owner and entrepreneur for 15 years – there must be something out there for me!
\nIn all seriousness, I have had a food stall exclusively at Glastonbury festival called Oli\u2019s (Next to the Pyramid Stage) for over 20 years, maybe I would consider taking that festival business on the road\u2026.
\nBut to be honest, I love my job here in Brighton, I\u2019m not going anywhere\u2026<\/p>\n

What innovations and trends in dining have you noticed over the years?<\/h2>\n

Above all else, there is more choice these days than ever before and that is keeping the industry on its toes. With online reviews and social media, the consumer is rightfully in control of the industry. More disposable income and the proliferation of casual dining in the last 25 years means everyone understands what constitutes good hospitality now. Competition has pushed the overall quality of what is on offer up and that is probably the single most exciting development as both a customer and a food producer.<\/p>\n

Food trends are in constant flux. Over the years I have seen the emergence of fusion cuisines and regional ingredients; diets for allergies and food intolerances; menus to cater for clean, meat or plant-based<\/a> diets; local and low-carbon sourcing; nose to tail and waste-free cooking; Italian food been replaced by Japanese as the go-to after work and family dinner; European a la carte being replaced by modern British fine dining<\/a>; buffets fade and family-style serving emerge; the death of over-processed food and rediscovery of artisan products.
\nAs much as people love innovation and change, their passion for the classic might be the biggest revelation \u2013 quality endures.<\/p>\n

Gourmet street food has taken hold in Australia, NZ, Canada, and the US over the last decade and though the UK came a bit later to the game (probably because of the weather), the concept is blowing up in London and around the country. I am sure we will see more of these owner-operated businesses enter the Street Food Markets, especially as it is a way for young chefs to branch out on their own and get people eating their food.<\/p>\n

\"Pizza<\/p>\n

What’s next for you?<\/h2>\n

Business answer: The Flour Pot will continue to evolve as a sustainable vertically integrated business providing the highest quality products and standards of service we committed to on day 1.
\nWish List answer: I\u2019d love to do a Flour Pot Book one day!
\nPersonal answer: Be a great Dad and spend more time with my kids.<\/p>\n

Anything you would like to add?<\/h2>\n

I have been business mentoring at Varndean 6th Form College<\/a> for 4 years now and I love it. I highly recommend offering some of your time in this way to other business people in Brighton as a way of bringing real-world experience to kids interested in business and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n