Can't see the Wood from the trees

At times it may feel that Milky Buns Bangwich Emporium is vying for the 2023 reboot of the once famous UK franchise, with a “Carry on deep filling” number, but it’s completely calculated and intentional. Truth is we can want to change the world by improving relationships with food, and we can want to do that without being so pious (a vital vowel eliminating word for your wordle armoury there) and dare I say, elitist? - coming from a chef who can’t afford to eat in the places he cooks at times, and one who selects markets over upmarket delis.

Seeing the rise in inequality, cost of living and lack of access to healthy food, affect the immediate and long-term health of so many people, and witness it since accelerate in the wrong direction, it’s easy to feel defeated and use division to inspire fight to ‘take it on’. But that doesn’t make us better. Who are we fighting?

Nature gives us everything, the entire existence of life comes from 8 parts of a plant, which needs soil to grow, and fungi to connect the dots. It’s wonderfully simple, powerful, and vulnerable all at the same time. As are we, and all the life it supports

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Which brings us to the Oak, Milky Buns is a value driven enterprise, our commitments and cause underpin everything we do, having read all manner of business books, it’s easy to find a methodology that fits. But harder to visualise how it works, but we can all visualise trees, and the act of doing so constantly reminds us, the important role nature plays, and how we are not that different.

For any of you who have grown up in the countryside, you might have been lucky to know the feeling; as a child, to look up at these impossibly impressive forces of nature, never easy to climb but always busy. Of all the trees they have a close relationship with humans, providing is with air, wood, food, shelter and most importantly biodiversity. In the UK alone the Oak supports over 2,300 wildlife species, not including bacteria and microorganisms. As they grow to over 400 years old, their value increases to life around them, being capable to support more, their decay supporting a new branch of life, our decay supports GB News and anger towards small boats.

What we don’t see straight away is their real value - the basic provision of habitat to the likes of moths, bees, caterpillar, ants, and spiders. Providing a rich snack for Pipets, redstarts, bats and tits. Its acorn fall to feed piglet, badger, boar, wood mice, nuthatch, wood-pecker and the stunning Jay. Even the root systems symbiotic relationship with fungi bringing penny bun and oak bolete mushrooms fruiting from beneath its vast branches.

You get the picture, yet I am scratching the surface, the depth and detail as to how it supports; and is supported by, the large life forms we can see we are learning more about as we grow, go under the soil, which is far richer and we are next to clueless.

So what has this got to do with a start up?

Its often hard to picture the shape of a company, how it grows and works in a community, its shape changing organically, what does it need to do in its basic function to serve its purpose and continue to do it better.

Humans have a special and somewhat involved relationship with the Oak tree, referenced throughout Christian, Celtic, Viking and Pagan folklore, it’s been with us a long time. To us they are a symbol of strength, stability, wisdom, healing and even a sense of royalty. Arising again when we realised our first stop on our journey is Acton and Anglo Saxon settlement ‘Oak farm’, oak their favoured building material, only a few stops from Royal Oak, a title taken from the tree that hid King Charles from Cromwell’s army.

Milky Buns starts from nothing, no brick owned, no seed fund, no deep pocketed friends, or aspirational networks. Just an acorn and a direction of travel. Great oaks don’t dazzle with fabulous bouquets, eye popping colour, exploding seed pods or beautiful fat sweet fruit. They use what they need to grow at a pace that produces a wood that is dense, strong and durable. But most importantly, they further life around them which in turns helps them grow.

Start with Why. Doughnut Economics, Lean start up, Value chains, Key Person of influence, Regenesis and many more books have brilliantly shaped our ideas and vision, but the longevity and ongoing work of the oak has made our passion feel a purpose.

Our finite effort goes into what really matters, and all our actions count. If we need napkins, they are recycled and recyclable, supplied by a company that we want to grow with. In time fuel from renewable and sustainable suppliers. Staff, local people who need hours that fit their life, food waste to compost, recipes shared to customers so they can learn to make their own, “leave one in” tickets where we match half the price for all items bought to support those who need hot food but don’t have the means to pay. Ingredients from suppliers that put health over profit.. from floor cleaner to finance companies, Our choices matter and those partnerships are what set the slow, strong and steady growth, through all the storms.

Milky Buns!