It's been 6 years... let's re-introduce ourselves!

Our Journies

Rhi’s Backstory

My passion for baking started at a very young age.  I have very fond memories of baking welshcakes and Christmas cakes with my nan and the smell of baking those goodies will forever be my favourite.

In 2006, I welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Lelan, into my life. Baking with my son sparked memories of baking with my nan, igniting my passion for baking.

In 2011, I reconnected with an old school friend (Chris). We'd known each other since we were 7 years old. Chris and I quickly discovered that despite the years apart, our bond remained as strong as ever.

My life veered into uncharted territory in 2012, and the December of that year brought a surprise like no other: the revelation that we were expecting. At the time, I was working for Age Cymru.

We welcomed Noah in August of 2013.

Just after our first Christmas as a family of 4, we had a massive shock that we were expecting AGAIN! We were overjoyed yet slightly overwhelmed by the news of our expanding family.

In September 2014, Chris popped the question - of course I said yes!

October 2014 came and along came our little bundle of sass, our baby girl Niamh. She was very poorly after entering this world but thankfully, we had amazing doctors that were able to help her get back to full health with a bit of intervention in the following years. Our journey with Niamh has been filled with ups and downs, but we are grateful for the support we've received along the way.

In November of 2015 we tied the knot, followed by our honeymoon in Paris. Our final night in Paris, was the night of the awful Bataclan attacks. We were nearby in a restaurant when the attacks began. When we finally made it back to our hotel, we could hear the events unfold outside our hotel before they made it onto the news on the tv. We couldn't believe that what we were watching was happening right outside. Despite the frightening experience, we try to focus on the positive memories we made during our time in Paris.

Unfortunately, the chain of events of the past year had brought on PTSD, which came with a whole host of mental and physical challenges.

Following this, I left my job at Age Cymru and focussed on being a full time stay at home mum to the boys and poorly Niamh.

As time passed and the children all began school, birthday parties became a regular occurrence. I would always bake cakes for the kids, and frequently got inquiries about who had made them at the parties. The passion for baking led me to consider turning my hobby into a thriving home business in late 2017. It was rewarding to see how much people enjoyed something I loved and it was something I was really good at.

In March 2018, my life was thrown into turmoil when I suddenly lost my mum. Needing to focus on something, I baked - A LOT! Much more than our waist lines could take in fact. So, I registered our kitchen as a business, created a Facebook page called ‘THE FLOUR GIRLS’ and started by baking and selling traybakes on a Friday. As we continued to grow, our loyal customers encouraged us to expand our menu and offer a variety of baked goods.

The name was decided based on our daughter showing a huge interest in everything baking. The idea was that one day, the two of us would build our own business – a mother and daughter team. People absolutely loved us and what we were creating! As the business grew, by March 2019, I noticed that baking and all its equipment had completely overtaken our home. That's when I made the choice to rent a small space for crafting celebration cakes. I took a lease on a small shop in Blaenavon where I would be spending my time creating custom orders. Since I already baked on premises, I set up a counter to offer cupcakes, brownies, and traybakes that I was known for making at home. The response exceeded my expectations!! 

-let’s pause for a second; Before we go any further, this is the part where Chris becomes a significant part in my little business.

Chris’ Backstory

Unsure which path to take after leaving high school but knowing I’d always been interested in computing, I attended university. Whilst putting myself through University, I worked along side my mum in the local hospital kitchen. I loved my job and always loved working with my mum.

After earning my degree, a world of opportunities opened up. Over a few years, I boosted my knowledge and confidence in different office roles, from data entry to crafting comparison websites.

When Rhi and I reconnected, after years apart, I was busy at a local business building and coding comparison websites. I was passionate about it, and had gained the skills to create websites for friends and local groups, like my karate group where I was a black belt.

When the children came along. I realised my whole perspective on life had changed; even more so after Niamh came along and was so poorly.

Luckily, my job allowed me to work remotely. I found a full-time position at home to be with my children and support Rhi in caring for our sick little one. I felt very fortunate!!

Unfortunately, the company I worked for ceased trading in 2017 and finding a remote job role was near impossible.

Around this time, the specialists were pleased with Niamh’s progress and she was starting to go longer periods without seeing the doctors. With this good news, I applied and accepted a role at a local company near our home in Blaenavon. 

So, with Chris now in a full time web developing role and Rhi opening a small cake shop, everything was great. We we both doing what we loved!

However…

This is where Our Journey Begins…                      

So, with the overwhelming success of opening the shop, it was clear after a few weeks, Rhi was struggling. Rhi was working 12+ hour days and something had to give. Despite the challenges, Rhi's determination and passion for the shop never wavered.

After a few months, Rhi's working hours increased due to the popularity of “THE CAKE SHOP”. So, in a moment of craziness, we decided Chris would leave his full-time job and join Rhi in baking cakes. This was the single most scary decision we’d ever made!  We had young children to feed and clothe, bills to pay and a roof to keep over our heads and Chris’ job had been the main source of income for our family for such a long time. Despite the fear and uncertainty, we knew we had to take a leap of faith. Our family's future depended on it.

Anyway, it happened! Chris left his job as a web developer and went to work alongside Rhi in the shop baking, decorating and selling delicious goodies. Chris's decision to leave his job as a web developer and join Rhi in the shop, brought a new energy and passion to our baking team.

Life was great, the business was thriving and everything was going smoothly until, COVID! After less than a year in business, we're now facing lockdown! Since we offer a food service, we closed our doors but transitioned to safe home deliveries. Despite the unexpected challenges of the pandemic, we remained committed to providing our customers with top-notch service.

As it was just the two of us that shopped for ingredients and supplies, baked, decorated and package the goods, as you can imagine, the days were long. But everyone seemed to just want our cake for miles and miles around. Despite the  the overwhelming demand for our cakes from far and wide made it all worth it. From Ebbw Vale to Abertillery and Malpas to Abergavenny, we delivered cake 4-5 days a week with our kiddies in tow.

By the time COVID was not so much of a worry and lockdowns had been lifted, we realised after reopening our shop that we had outgrown it drastically. There was so much ‘stuff’ like packaging and massive sacks of ingredients that there was just not enough room to sanely run the business this way. To address this challenge, we knew we needed to make some changes to our physical space to accommodate our growing needs.

At this point, our children were in school in Abergavenny and we'd noticed on our way to school every day, a lovely empty shopfront that seemed perfect for what we needed. As we were hoping to someday move to the town too, we grabbed the bull by the horns, tracked down the landlords and signed a lease. Excited about the new opportunity, we wasted no time in transforming the empty space into our new Bakery.

So, whilst this was going on in the space of about 2 months, we decided to sell our house and actually move to Abergavenny. The house sold quicker than we thought and before we knew it, we had to move house and businesses within a few weeks of each other – definitely not something we’d EVER recommend.   Despite the chaotic circumstances, we were grateful for the opportunity to start fresh in Abergavenny

In September 2021, we opened our doors for the first time at 30 Frogmore Street, Abergavenny under the new name ‘O’Connell’s Bakery’. We thought that as we are now a partnership and  the business is a joint effort, having the family name at the forefront was the right thing to do;  even though Chris was ok with being a Flour Girl! Despite the change in name, our commitment to quality and tradition remains the same at ‘O’Connell’s Bakery'.

Since then, the business has expanded and our brand and treats are recognized worldwide - we even garnered online fame in 2023 with our Milkybar cheesecake eclair going viral - that was unbelievable! We recall receiving notifications on our phone '100+ people commented on this' and then another notification saying '99+ people like this' - it was overwhelming to keep track of. We initially thought the business was being hacked!

Anyway, we continued to bake and spread the joy of cake as much as possible. Our passion for baking drives us to create delicious treats for all to enjoy. 

The future for O’Connell’s Bakery

Times are tough for every business right now. Despite the challenges, we're staying positive and focused on serving our customers the best products.

Chris, a newcomer to baking, unexpectedly found himself becoming a baker. You'll frequently find him at the shop, eager to improve his cake decoration skills. For now, he continues to bake and decorate items in store daily but some day would like to move onto celebration cakes.

Rhi has faced challenges in recent months. In August, she had an accident and broke a vertebrae while on holiday. This has greatly limited her activities, but we are hoping for a speedy recovery. Nonetheless, her love for baking, creating new recipes, and baking up a storm remains strong.

Whatever the future holds, the taste of happiness is indulging in one of our delicious bakes. We are positive that 'cake is the answer, no matter the question!'   

Chris & Rhian O’Connell