Coinneach MacLeod, The Hebridean Baker

Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Coinneach MacLeod, author of The Hebridean Baker: Recipes and Wee Stories from the Scottish Islands.

Born and raised on the Isle of Lewis, Coinneach wrote the book having been inspired by traditional family recipes and homegrown produce. He rose to fame as The Hebridean Baker on TikTok in 2020 and currently educates and entertains over 239,200 followers on the social media platform.

While now heavily focused on his brand as The Hebridean Baker, Coinneach continues to harbor a love for football, which he has had since the age of ten. His football-related work usually consists in helping to professionalize the sport as it’s played around the world.

Coinneach is incredibly proud of his heritage, hence his motivation to build upon his online persona and, now, to publish The Hebridean Baker. “I wanted to find a way to talk about the islands and the uniqueness of our identity, of our culture, of the Gaelic language.” To that end, he used his love of baking as a “conduit” for telling these stories.

In order to preserve his family recipes, Coinneach posted them online. Little did he know that his TikTok would quickly become a worldwide phenomenon.

“It’s been great because I’ve done apart from the things I love. I haven’t had to change anything that I would normally do. I just share stories and recipes that I love myself.”

Coinneach goes on to talk about his experience in building his online brand and business from Lewis and his advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs from small towns. To him, the foundations of any long-lasting brand are passion and authenticity. Such palpable enthusiasm and honesty will slowly but surely attract those like-minded individuals that make up your tribe.

Finally, Coinneach speaks to the unique culture among those born and raised in Lewis and Harris and his hopes for more economic growth in the island whilst maintaining that small-town camaraderie and respect for the history of the place.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:42] Life in Lewis

[02:50] Coinneach’s “pinch me” moments in his football career

[08:51] Why Coinneach wrote The Hebridean Baker and why he chose TikTok

[11:31] The types of content that Coinneach creates

[15:25] About Seoras the dog and other iconic content from The Hebridean Baker

[18:06] Keys to building a strong online brand

[22:00] How your name tells the story of your heritage

[24:26] Improving the Lewis and Harris economy

[28:00] Happiness versus fulfillment

Connect with Coinneach MacLeod:

· TIKTOK

Connect with Don MacNaughton:

· WEBSITE

· PODCAST

· INSTAGRAM

· TWITTER

· FACEBOOK

· LINKEDIN