WHO doesn’t look forward to sitting down with a cup of tea and a biscuit?

Fraser McIntyre and Sophie Whitaker certainly do, and the sweet-toothed entrepreneurs identified a gap in the market for a new, more international dimension to this simplest of pleasures.

Hence The Biscuit Baron was born, a monthly subscription box filled with delicious biscuits and cookies from all over the world. Two years on the business continues to go from strength to strength, as growing numbers of buyers – private and corporate – enjoy the monthly selection of luxury biscuits, delivered to their door, or choose to give the box as a gift.

“People often tend to buy the same biscuits with their weekly shop,” explains Mr McIntyre. “But they also love premium biscuits and are keen to try new flavours and styles. That’s where we come in.”

The couple, from Falkirk, partners in life as well as business, have done extensive research into tastes and products from around the globe, focusing each monthly box on one country and its biscuits.

“In January we did China to coincide with the Chinese New Year, this month – for Valentines Day – we did France,” says Ms Whitaker, who has a background in marketing. “People travel much more widely these days and enjoy food from all over the world.

“One of our customers recently told us the Turkish biscuits we sent reminded her of a really happy family holiday. That sort of feedback is lovely.”

Last year the business had the chance to appear on BBC entrepreneurship show Dragon’s Den. It proved to be something of a turning point.

“They film lots of people and the vast majority don’t make the final cut,” says Mr McIntytre. “In the end, we only appeared in a short clip. But off the back of that our sales doubled.”

Ms Whitaker adds: “It was also a really useful process because we had to hone our pitch and make sure we knew our business inside out.”

The pair see working together as a firm advantage, especially since their skills complement each other rather than overlap. While Ms Whitaker concentrates on the creative elements of the business, Mr McIntyre, who previously worked in retail and healthcare, looks after the numbers.

“The thing I enjoy most is being responsible for my own earning potential,” he adds. “I’ve always wanted to be my own boss, though I never imagined I'd work with biscuits.

“The best thing is that when you work really hard, you actually see the results. Sending out the boxes every month gives me such a sense of achievement. And it’s great to work in a business that makes other people happy.”

The couple admit growing their business has meant making sacrifices.

“If you don’t take risks, you'll never know how far you can take your idea," says Ms Whitaker. "Last year we realised the business needed full-time attention, so Fraser gave up his job even though we couldn’t support a full-time salary at the time. We had to make that jump and take the risk. But it was definitely the right thing to do.

“Sometimes you just have to go for it. Running a business is hard, but it’s also very fulfilling.”

Being part of the Accelerator Programme at RBS has also been very worthwhile, according to Mr McIntyre.

“Having the input of someone outside the business is crucial,” he says. “Our business manager, Beth, is fantastic. She keeps us on our toes by asking all the important questions. Having space to work in the RBS Hub is also great."