Yum Yum Sushi Desserts founder John Hines talks through his truly remarkable start-up story

Take one Florida-based TV cooking show host. Add a civil servant from the UK. Mix in a few thousand miles, a pinch of Facebook, more than a dash of personal tragedy, and one massive dollop of fun - and you have the recipe for Yum Yum Sushi Desserts.

Dynamic husband-and-wife duo John and Lisa Hines founded Yum Yum Sushi Desserts in December 2020. John, whose personality is as colourful as his product, shares their story...

In today's social media-driven world, the saying 'we eat first with our eyes' has never felt more accurate. Yum Yum Sushi Desserts are an absolute feast for the eyes. Tell us a bit about your delicious, unique treats.

"We call them our little nuggets of happiness. They're handcrafted using the very finest ingredients. Moist, flavoured cake is surrounded by rich buttercream, dipped in chocolate and accented with eye-catching toppings.

"They're hand rolled and sliced to look like sushi - but there's definitely no fish in this dish! They make great gifts and are perfect for weddings, teas and special events. And because they're bite size, you can eat more than one; you can literally have your cake and eat it."

To say that your journey to this point has been a rollercoaster is an understatement. Is it fair to say though that, were it not for all the incredible highs and devastating lows, Yum Yum Sushi Desserts probably wouldn't even exist?

"Absolutely. A lot has happened over the last few years. I'm from the USA originally and I've had an amazing career in the food and hospitality industry. I owned my own restaurant in Key West, Florida. I've been an executive chef of an award-winning BBQ restaurant. I've even hosted my own TV cooking show!

"In 2016 my life changed forever when I lost my parents and younger brother - all within the space of a few weeks. Over the next year or so I went through a very nasty divorce, lost my house, was declared bankrupt and, just to add insult to injury - literally - I was badly hurt when I was hit by a drunk driver. Oh, and Mother Nature also wreaked havoc in the form of Hurricane Irma. You couldn't make it up.

"I mention these things not for sympathy - but to show that a person can recover; you get knocked down, but you get right back up again. And I did, with the help of Lisa.

"Lisa and I met on Facebook in 2018. We spoke every day for a month, then she flew from the UK to Miami to meet me. That day changed my life. She'd also experienced her own share of heartache, so we grew and healed together. She went back to England, sold her house, grabbed the dog, and moved to Key West. We married in 2019.

"Soon afterwards we left Florida and moved to England to be closer to Lisa's family. That was pre-pandemic and our initial plans were to open a restaurant here; we even shipped over two BBQ smokers with the rest of our belongings. But COVID forced us to reassess.

"Starting an online business felt like a more sensible alternative. In Yum Yum Sushi I can harness my years of experience in the food industry, and Lisa can follow her real passion in life - to become a highly skilled baker and cake decorator."

Your story is truly one of triumph over tragedy. And a great lesson for other small business owners to overcome whatever obstacles are thrown at them.

"You have to learn to focus on what's important and keep your eye on the prize. The rest is just noise. Don't get distracted or let others get in your way. Don't get bogged down. We're always inspired by the success stories of the Enterprise Nation community so hopefully we can inspire other people in the same way.

"That's actually why we first joined - to meet other members who were on a similar journey to us. The vast pool of resources and advisers has been instrumental in helping us succeed. We regularly attend your Lunch and Learn webinars, and we've also just entered your SituLive competition to win a year's residency at Westfield, London. Fingers crossed for that."

So is physical retail something you're keen to explore?

"Absolutely. We'd love to be in a pop-up store or even our own retail outlet. We love to showcase our treats in person. We have a really strong USP, but the downside of that is that retailers sometimes struggle to know where to put us because we're so unique.

"We were actually due to attend some trade shows last year so that we could unveil them to retailers, but the shows were postponed due to Covid. 
Currently most of our sales come through our own website, but we're also stocked on some national food delivery websites, which is very exciting."

It sounds like you have big plans for Yum Yum Sushi Desserts. What's next?

"We're always experimenting and striving to improve what we offer. Coming up with new flavours can be tough... tasting them is the fun part.

"We've already developed a vegan range to sit alongside our classic selection. Soon we'll be introducing a gluten-free option, as well as looking at how we might include CBD into our products too. And we have two more totally unique desserts that we haven't unveiled yet, so keep your eyes peeled for those.

"Long term we want to expand internationally, but it's important for us to conquer the UK first. We know people love our handmade, decadent treats. It's just a matter of how fast we can tell everyone about them. Once we feel that we've validated our business model we will look to go global.

"We also still plan to open that restaurant some day too. Hey, if your dreams don't scare you then they're not big enough, right?"
 
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