What LILY VANILLI LTD does

Lily Vanilli Ltd is a privately held, founder-owned artisan bakery headquartered at 6 The Courtyard, Ezra Street, London E2 7RH, founded in 2008 by a self-taught baker. The company operates a small East London flagship cafe (Tuesday-Sunday service), a wholly-owned second store in Tbilisi, Georgia, and since March 2025 a licensed afternoon tea service called 'London by Lily Vanilli' at the Four Seasons Tower Bridge. Earlier international activity included a 2018 afternoon tea concept in Nanjing, China.

The core product is customisable buttercream celebration and wedding cakes, priced from £65 for a standard cake up to £700+ for multi-tier and £1,100 for Italian-style single-tier cakes, with options for vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. The product set also includes brownies (£25/box of 4), cupcakes, cake decorating accessories, branded T-shirts (£25), gift cards (£25-£250), and recipe/accessory bundles. Adjacent revenue comes from in-person cake-decorating classes at £150 per person (Ribbons & Frills, Bed of Roses) and a virtual academy hosted on the Thinkific platform. Underlying technology is a standard website-based online ordering system with zone-based London home delivery (Zones 1-6, 2pm-6pm daily) and a Thinkific-hosted learning environment; no proprietary software, API or AI features are disclosed.

The business monetises through one-time cake orders, a small subscription/recurring layer (online academy, gift cards), a licensing/royalty stream (Four Seasons afternoon tea), and professional services (in-person classes). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company's own e-commerce site and physical storefront, supplemented by hospitality partnerships and a Tbilisi retail subsidiary. The customer base is primarily individual consumers in London ordering for personal occasions, plus a visible roster of fashion, media and food-industry clients including Vivienne Westwood, Kate Spade, Vogue, Jamie Oliver and Baileys. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding, no parent company, and a headcount of approximately 6.

Name

LILY VANILLI LTD

Legal name

Lily Vanilli Limited

Website

https://lilyvanilli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lily Vanilli Ltd is a privately held, founder-owned East London artisan bakery selling custom celebration and wedding cakes, baked treats, and cake-decorating classes to London consumers, with additional licensed hospitality and international retail partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes (THAFAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patisseries & Dessert Boutiques (CRAHAGAB), Online Bakery & Desserts Delivery (CRAHAIAK)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery
• Custom celebration cakes
• Bespoke wedding cakes
• Cake decorating classes
• Afternoon tea service

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Celebration Cakes: Bespoke customisable celebration cakes ordered online with delivery or pickup, ranging from £65-120+ depending on size and tier configuration.
2. Wedding Cakes: Bespoke wedding cake services with consultations and custom orders.
3. In-Person Cake Decorating Classes: Small intimate in-person classes at the London bakery teaching cake decorating skills, priced at £150 per person, includes take-home cake worth £70.
4. Online Classes (Academy): Virtual cake decorating courses delivered through Thinkific online academy.
5. Afternoon Tea Partnership: Licensed afternoon tea service at Four Seasons Tower Bridge, London, priced at £65 per person, featuring Lily Vanilli cakes and pastries.
6. Brownies and Treats: Ready-made treats including Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownies at £25 for 4, sold online for delivery or collection.
7. Gift Cards: Gift cards ranging from £25-£250 redeemable against all purchases including classes and cakes.
8. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including T-shirts at £25 each.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lily Vanilli is an East London artisan bakery producing customisable celebration cakes (sizes 15-150+ servings), bespoke wedding cakes, brownies, cupcakes, and seasonal baked goods. The business complements its core cake trade with in-person and online cake decorating classes, a licensed afternoon tea at Four Seasons Tower Bridge, gift cards, and branded merchandise, distributing via online ordering with London home delivery, a physical bakery/café storefront, and pickup collection.

Product overview

Lily Vanilli is an East London artisan bakery offering custom celebration cakes, wedding cakes, and baked goods. The core offering consists of customisable buttercream cakes available in sizes from 15 to 150+ servings, complemented by products and services including Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownies, cupcakes, in-person cake decorating classes (Ribbons & Frills, Bed of Roses at £150 each), an online academy via Thinkific, afternoon tea at Four Seasons (£65pp), gift cards, branded merchandise, and recipe books. The company operates a physical cafe in East London and recently expanded with a second location in Tbilisi, Georgia. A charitable initiative, the 15th Birthday Project, distributes cakes to children across London in partnership with the Mayor's Fund for London. The business is fundamentally a consumer-facing bakery with no SaaS platform, API, or AI-enabled features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Celebration Cakes Customisable buttercream celebration cakes in various sizes (15-150+ servings), flavours, and colour schemes, ordered online for London delivery or pickup. Prices range from £70 for standard heart cakes to £700+ for large multi-tiered cakes.
• Bespoke Wedding Cakes Bespoke wedding cakes with custom sizing, flavours, and elaborate piping and decoration, with multiple tier options and consultation-based ordering.
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownies Award-winning salted caramel chocolate fudge brownies sold in boxes of 4 for £25, available for London delivery or collection.
• Cupcakes Customisable cupcakes in various flavours and colours to accompany cakes for any occasion.
• In-Person Cake Decorating Classes Small intimate in-person cake decorating classes at the London bakery teaching piping techniques and buttercream finishing. Includes Ribbons & Frills and Bed of Roses classes at £150 per person, with all materials, snacks, prosecco, recipes, and a take-home cake (rrp £70).
• Online Cake Classes (Lily Vanilli Academy) Online video courses for learning cake decorating from home, hosted on the Thinkific platform as the Lily Vanilli Academy.
• Afternoon Tea at Four Seasons Tower Bridge Premium afternoon tea service at Four Seasons Tower Bridge Rotunda Bar & Lounge, featuring savoury bites (gildas, parmesan goujères), Lily Vanilli signature cakes, pastries, and optional cocktail pairing, priced at £65 per person.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards redeemable for all purchases including cakes, classes, and online courses, available in denominations from £25 to £250 with no expiration date.
• Branded Merchandise Branded clothing including T-shirts such as the 'Pies Before Guys' design at £25 each, printed on AS Colour 100% carded cotton 200 GSM tees in sizes S, M, L.
• Recipe Books Published recipe books authored by the founder, including 'Sweet Tooth', 'A Zombie Ate My Cupcake' (90,000+ copies sold worldwide), and '#BakeForSyria' (charity cookbook).
• Physical Bakery Cafe (London) East London bakery and cafe at 6 The Courtyard, Ezra St., London E2 7RH, open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 9am-4pm, offering in-store cake collection and cafe service.
• Lily Vanilli Tbilisi Bakery Second Lily Vanilli retail store located in Tbilisi, Georgia, operating as a wholly owned adjacent subsidiary of the London business.

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Four Seasons Tower BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2025Licensed afternoon tea partnership 'London by Lily Vanilli' at Four Seasons Rotunda Bar and Lounge. Opens 27 March 2025, running Thursdays-Sundays. Features savoury items like gildas and parmesan goujères, plus signature Lily Vanilli cakes and pastries.
• Mayor's Fund for LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mayor's Fund for London to distribute birthday cakes to children from low-income backgrounds across all London boroughs. Launched as part of 15th Birthday Project celebrating 15 years of the bakery. The MFL is London's largest provider of holiday food and activities for children and young people.
• ThinkificsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOnline learning platform used to deliver virtual cake decorating classes through Lily Vanilli Academy.
• Mirabeau sparkling rosesupportingOthersComplementary sparkling wine provided during in-person cake decorating classes.
• YBF AwardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-leading bakery awards co-founded by Lily Vanilli, now in its 10th year. Recognises excellence in baking and cake decorating industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Konditor & Cook: Konditor & Cook operates a UK bakery and cake business with premium baked goods, bespoke cakes, and online ordering. Its mix of direct retail and occasion-led products overlaps with Lily Vanilli's core model.
• Peggy Porschen: London premium cake studio and bakery offering bespoke celebration and wedding cakes, online ordering, and decorating classes. It is the closest direct peer to Lily Vanilli's custom-cake, storefront, and education model.
• LOLA's Cupcakes: LOLA's Cupcakes is a London-focused cupcake and celebration-dessert retailer with physical and e-commerce channels. It is comparable for occasion-driven, visually distinctive baked goods and gift-led purchases.
• Cutter & Squidge: Cutter & Squidge is a London bakery and café known for layered cakes, baked goods, and immersive dessert experiences. It is directly comparable in premium dessert retail, custom gifting, and experience-led brand building.
• The Hummingbird Bakery: The Hummingbird Bakery is a UK-focused bakery chain centered on cakes, cupcakes, and other celebration desserts through physical and online retail. It competes for many of the same occasion-driven consumer occasions, albeit at greater scale.
• Dominique Ansel: Dominique Ansel is an internationally recognized pastry brand with a London presence, signature cakes and pastries, retail locations, and creative dessert experiences. It overlaps on premium pastry innovation, design-led branding, and experiential food retail.

Broad incumbents

• Ottolenghi: Ottolenghi is a premium London food brand with delis, pastries, cakes, and online and gift retail. It is a broad incumbent comparable in premium baked goods, creative food positioning, and experiential retail.
• The Ritz London: The Ritz London is a luxury hotel known for afternoon tea, pastries, and premium hospitality experiences. It is comparable in monetising a luxury venue and food experience, although it is not a direct custom-cake competitor.
• Fortnum & Mason: Fortnum & Mason is an established luxury food and hospitality retailer with premium cakes, confectionery, afternoon tea, hampers, and online and physical channels. It overlaps with Lily Vanilli's premium gifting, bakery, and hospitality audiences.

Regional players

• Bettys: Bettys is a Yorkshire-based bakery and tea-room operator selling premium cakes, pastries, gifts, and online food products. Its consumer proposition and physical-plus-digital bakery model are comparable, although its primary operating region differs from London.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lily_vanilli_cake
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lily-vanilli-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LILY VANILLI LTD