Pizza oven firm Ooni ups entry salary level

A WEST Lothian-based pizza oven company, which claims to be “the world’s number one” in its sector, is to increase the minimum entry level salary for employees to £25,000.

Ooni Pizza Ovens, founded by husbandand-wife team Kristian Tapaninaho and Darina Garland, said the pay is 54 per cent higher than the UK national minimum wage and 45% higher than the Living Wage Foundation’s real living wage. It means that all staff receive a 10% salary increase.

The Broxburn firm describes itself as “one of the UK’S fastestgrowing companies”, with offices in Scotland, the US, Germany and China.

Mr Tapaninaho and Ms Garland said that when they launched the business in 2012, they created a brand new category by offering a “small, fast and accessible wood-fired pizza oven that gave ordinary people the critical tool to make great pizza at home”.

“Our employees are crucial to the success of our business and deserve to be empowered and know that what they do nine to five, Monday to Friday, is helping to make the world just a little bit better,” said Ms Garland, Ooni’s chief experience officer.

With 20 million pizzas cooked in Ooni ovens since 2013 and the business growing at 400% year on year, Ooni now has about 120 employees.