Rob Cunningham
Reassessing life following five days in hospital on oxygen therapy battling Covid-19, Rob Cunningham a former development baker, decided the time was right to realise his ambition of running his own business and has launched Ovenu Petersfield.
Cunningham, 52, along with his wife Claire and daughter Charlotte, moved to Hampshire 18 years after Cunningham joined a bakery company where he was head of innovation developing sweet bakery treats for high street names such as Costa, Pret a Manger, Starbucks and Waitrose. Prior to that he was a baker for Greggs and Bakers Oven rising to the position of production area manager.
Commenting on his decision, Cunningham said: “Thankfully, I’ve made a full recovery, but lying in a hospital bed was the impetus I needed to take stock of my life and to think about what is important for myself and my family. I’ve been a baker for 37 years and always had an ambition to be my own boss, but never seemed to have time to take things further.”
By taking voluntary redundancy whilst planning his new career, Cunningham saw an opportunity with Ovenu and chose the franchise because of the amount of training and support it provided, together with its proven business model.
Cunningham added: “It’s a little daunting to be launching a business during lockdown but I’m determined to succeed, and I have Covid-secure procedures in place to keep myself and my clients safe.”
Ovenu Petersfield, which covers Petersfield and surrounding areas, including The Meon Valley, Liss, Waterlooville, Denmead and Clanfield, will accept bookings at its discretion, with the strict stipulation that both parties observe the two-metres social distancing rule, along with guidelines on hygiene and cleanliness.
Rik Hellewell
Rik Hellewell, founder and managing director of Ovenu, commented: “Rob has a great attention to detail, together with fantastic people skills and certainly knows his way around an oven. Despite these challenging times, he has the necessary drive and determination to create a real recipe for success.”
The Ovenu valeting process involves dismantling key components of an oven such as the door, interior panels, fan, and shelves and placing them into design-registered tank equipment, which uses safe, non-caustic and biodegradable products to clean the oven parts.
For further details about the Ovenu franchise or to register for an e-brochure please contact Hellewell on 01189 743 911 or visit www.ovenu.co.uk/oven-cleaning-franchise.