Dough Boy Pizza Company goes from lockdown hobby to success

Joseph Sullivan, the man behind Dough Boy Pizza Company, has gone from making Neapolitan-style pizzas in his mum's garden during the COVID lockdown to feeding hundreds of wedding guests across the North West every year.

Before the pandemic, Mr Sullivan from Hoghton, near Blackburn, was working as a private chef, but when lockdown struck, he found himself jobless.

During this time, he discovered an old passion: making pizzas.

He bought a portable pizza oven, the Roccbox from Gozney, and started experimenting with recipes in his mother's garden.

This led to him selling his pizzas to friends and family, who quickly became fond of the idea of having fresh pizzas on dreary lockdown evenings.

Mr Sullivan then decided to organise an NHS fundraiser, donating a part of his profits to support healthcare workers in Britain.

The community's response was 'overwhelming', and he soon became a 'local sensation', selling out every week from a small catering tent.

As demand grew, Mr Sullivan purchased a second Roccbox to keep up with production.

Eventually, he had to move operations to his local village hall to accommodate the ever-growing crowd.

Mr Sullivan then decided to take his business a step further by investing in a horsebox trailer.

After some renovation, he converted it into a mobile pizzeria, allowing him to reach more customers.

With the expansion, Mr Sullivan had to hire staff to cope with the growing demand.

After a 'challenging' search, he built a dedicated team that 'shares Dough Boy's passion.'

Looking ahead to the future, Dough Boy is in currently in the process of adding a third trailer to their fleet (Image: Supplied)

Dough Boy Pizza Company now operates from two pizza trailers, catering more than 150 weddings a year.

Their efforts earned them a nomination for Caterer of the Year in the North West at the Wedding Industry Awards 2024.

The company also caters for private business events.

Recently, they had the opportunity to cater for Porsche's new 911 launch and will also support MINI's upcoming launch party.

Mr Sullivan has also become an Instagram ambassador for Gozney, documenting Dough Boy’s pizza adventures to over 100,000 followers on Instagram.

What started as a small venture in his mum’s garden has now transformed into a thriving business with 'no signs of slowing down.'

With plans for a third trailer and expansion across the UK, Joseph's entrepreneurial journey is just beginning.