Change your business address
If you're a full access user, you can update your business, registered, mailing and personal addresses within Online for Business and the Business banking app.
The recipe for growth
After founding Borough 22 to create treats his children could enjoy safely, Ryan Panchoo has grown the business from a kitchen side hustle into a thriving brand stocked in Selfridges. Now, as a 2026 Black In Business winner, he's ready to introduce Borough 22 to even more people across the UK.
Read time: 3 mins Added: 27/10/26
Making sure nobody misses out
Borough 22 was born from Ryan Panchoo's determination to make sure his children didn't feel left out.
Living with allergies and intolerances often meant they missed out on foods other children could enjoy, particularly at celebrations and family gatherings. Ryan wanted to create treats that were safe to eat, tasted great and looked every bit as appealing as mainstream alternatives.
"I wanted them to feel included," he says. "I didn't want them to be left out just because of the foods they couldn't eat.“
At the time, Ryan was working as a project manager and had no professional baking experience. What began as a side hustle quickly became a mission to create products that anyone could enjoy, regardless of dietary requirements. Today, Borough 22 produces a growing range of gluten-free and plant-based doughnuts, brownies and desserts sold online, through delivery platforms and in cafés across London.
From side hustle to growing business
Ryan taught himself everything he knows about baking and spent years perfecting recipes, including eight years developing a gluten-free fried doughnut that could stand alongside traditional alternatives.
That persistence has paid off. The business has grown from producing more than 9,000 doughnuts in a home kitchen to 35,000 in peak trading months, with a permanent concession in Selfridges' Oxford Street and an expanding customer base. But for Ryan, the numbers only tell part of the story. The most rewarding part is hearing from customers who have spent years unable to enjoy treats that many people take for granted.
"We're more than just providing an option for people," he says. "We're making people feel included."
Why Black In Business matters
Ryan believes that progress is one of the reasons the timing of his Black In Business win feels so significant. After years of growing and refining the business, Borough 22 is profitable, performing strongly and ready to scale. Winning Black In Business felt like recognition of that journey, but also an opportunity to accelerate the next stage of growth.
Finding out he had won was an emotional moment.
"After all the challenges and sacrifices, it felt like recognition of how far we've come," Ryan says.
As a Black In Business winner, Ryan will receive £200,000 of TV advertising, a bespoke Channel 4 advert and six months of tailored marketing and business support from Channel 4 and Lloyds.
For him, the opportunity is about far more than advertising. Ryan believes the support comes at exactly the right time.
Ryan Panchoo Founder, Borough 22The advert is the cherry on top, it's the people I'll meet, the relationships I'll build and the doors the programme can open. We are ready. We've built the infrastructure, we've got the right team in place and now it's about letting more people know we exist.
Looking ahead
Ryan's ambition is to build what he calls the "global home for inclusive treats". The immediate focus is expanding Borough 22's presence across the UK, building on the success of its Selfridges concession and bringing its products to more locations and retailers.
The product range continues to grow beyond doughnuts as Ryan looks for new ways to make inclusive treats available for more occasions and more customers. Longer term, he sees opportunities beyond the UK. But for now, Black In Business provides a platform to reach a much wider audience and continue building a brand that started with one simple goal: making sure nobody misses out.
"We're not changing the world as such," Ryan says. "But we're changing people's worlds.“
Tune in to Channel 4 from early 2027 to see Borough 22’s Black In Business advert.
Delivering game-changing advertising opportunities
Read more about the other Black In Business winners and what they hope to gain from the initiative.