Stockport entrepreneur enjoys a slice of success with fresh Ocado deal

An entrepreneur in Greater Manchester has secured a listing with online supermarket Ocado for a pizza product he developed in his own kitchen.

Mark McGuinness cooked up Dough It Yourself four years ago after noticing gap in the market for his culinary creation.

Today, his purpose-built kitchen in Stockport produces around 3,000 part-baked, hand-stretched pizza bases each week.

In addition to selling through a number of delis and restaurants, Dough It Yourself sells online through its website.

Commenting on the new deal with Ocado, Mark said: “I love making pizza with the kids, but there was nothing on the market which could give you a real thin-crust pizza experience at home.

“All the bases I could find were too thick and not very tasty at all, I couldn’t believe no-one had launched a part-baked option.”

He added: “Initially I was going to pitch the idea to the supermarkets, but then I thought why don’t I just do it myself? And Dough It Yourself was born.”

Mark started out by touring the product around various food fairs and then selling through the online shop.

Since its digital launch, the business has switched premises twice, first moving into a catering kitchen in Altrincham and then relocating to its existing site in Stockport, where Mark employs three full-time staff.

Mark, who lives in nearby Didsbury, continued: “We hand-roll each base to the perfect thickness, you top it yourself and just pop it in a hot oven for about five minutes.

“The Ocado listing is a real feather in the cap and marks the beginning of the next stage of growth for Dough It Yourself.”

Dough It Yourself is part of the Don Marco Food Company.