A 24-year-old West Cork woman is opening her third business in less than a year.

Anna O’Leary launched an ‘honesty box’ called The Flour Patch last June selling the end of the lane at the farm where she lives in Castlefreke.

The Culinary Arts graduate from MTU stocked the box, made by her brother from her childhood tree house, with freshly baked breads, tarts along with fresh vegetables, honey and jams from her family farm.

Anna puts the finishing touches on one of her cakes.

It was such a hit that she opened a second box at her home place in Kilmichael, that August. She regularly sells out in both locations with customers travelling distances to purchase her baked goods, with her TikTok and Instagram videos going down just as well with her fans.

And now this June Bank Holiday weekend she’ll open a sit-down Flour Patch at popular beach Owenahincha. She’ll initially stock her renowned sweet treats but also hopes to expand to toasties and acai bowls. Interestingly she’s not a fan of sweet things at all, preferring savoury!

‘The opportunity came my way to open the café and I couldn’t let it go. I was always looking out for a place, and would be fussy about locations and this is perfect, looking at the beach in Owenahincha. So I just thought ‘why not go for it now?’ There’s no point waiting!’ she said.

With the bricks and mortar café Anna will get to meet her customers – which is one thing she doesn’t get to enjoy at her boxes.

Has the ‘honesty’ system always worked?

‘I was a little wary at the start but I’ve honestly never had more than a few euro discrepancy at the end of the day. One time I remember the cash box was slightly broken and you could actually access the money and I had so many people contact me to tell me. It was just so lovey that everyone was looking out for me,’ she said.

It’s a lot in a year especially considering that Anna also makes birthday and wedding cakes and stocks O’Reilly’s in Bandon with mini cakes. But baking and cooking is her passion and even though it’s very hard work, she enjoys it.

‘It’s all happened very naturally,’ she said.

She’s been a one woman show until now but is enlisting the help of her younger sister Saoirse and mum Catriona in the new venture.

‘My ultimate goal is to own my own farm shop and café experience and this is a step in that direction,’ said an ambitious Anna who grew up on a beef farm.

‘Our parents involved us in everything on the farm where we grew most of our own food. We could see that you get out what you put in and being exposed to that really paid off.’ Anna tries to take Mondays off: ‘But I usually end up working on the farm in Kilmichael, trailing around after dad looking for jobs to do! Otherise I’m cooking for my family – as if I’m not in the kitchen enough already!’

Right now she’s looking forward to a busy summer season.

‘I think what I’ve learned in business so far is that you must take the bad with the good and that if you work hard and are true to yourself everything will work out fine,’ she said.