Sweet Joe’s has grown to a £2m firm and is ambitious to push on with NatWest backing
A Birmingham cookie dough maker is aiming for further national expansion after securing support from NatWest bank.
Sweet Joe’s, founded by Ammar Saleem in 2010, began life as a door-to-door operation run from his parents’ home with a second-hand freezer bought for £40 on Gumtree.
With just £750 invested in a website and business cards, Saleem exploited a gap in the market after noticing cookie dough consistently outsold pizzas at his local pizza parlour job.
The business, originally trading as Cooky Dough Limited, joined the second cohort of NatWest’s ‘Birmingham Accelerator Hub’ in May 2015.
Through the programme, Saleem secured a business loan that funded food manufacturing accreditations, expanded storage capacity and machinery upgrades, bringing previously outsourced production in-house.
The business was subsequently renamed Sweet Joe’s, inspired by his mentor on the accelerator programme, Joe Trodden.
‘Being around like-minded risk-takers’
The brand, now valued at £2m, opened its first standalone café in Birmingham’s Grand Central in 2024. Its product is now stocked in 400 Asda stores nationwide, with its Red Velvet and Chocolate Chunk varieties selling atwice the forecast volumes.
Saleem said: “Changing your ecosystem to be around like-minded risk-takers who understand your vision is the best thing you can do.
“The sense of community, support and shared self-belief at NatWest is invaluable to anyone chasing their dreams.”
Harinder Kunor, Accelerator Community Manager at NatWest, added: “Sweet Joe’s is an outstanding example of how entrepreneurial determination, coupled with the right support and guidance, can transform a local concept into a national success.”
