The founders use company profits to support people facing homelessness, domestic abuse, and social isolation
What began as a late-night baking project run by two neuroscience researchers has grown into a national supermarket brand stocked in more than 900 stores.
The founders started by selling cinnamon buns through Instagram to fund community projects and now reinvest at least 65 per cent of company profits in initiatives supporting vulnerable people across the UK.
David Martos and his wife Itse Martos, founded House of Cinn in 2020 while completing their PhDs in neuroscience and volunteering with a London street outreach team.
The pair originally used money from their cinnamon bun sales to fund community projects supporting people experiencing homelessness, isolation and other forms of disadvantage.
The founders said: "We never set out to build a food business. It started while we were doing our PhDs and volunteering with a London street outreach team, baking cinnamon buns at night, selling them on Instagram, and using it to fund community projects we cared about.
"We never imagined those same buns would end up in Selfridges, Sainsbury's, and now more than 900 stores nationwide.
"What's stayed the same is the reason we started: making something people genuinely enjoy, and using it to give back."
Early recognition from Selfridges helped the founders develop the business, which now sells four products through Sainsbury's stores nationwide.
Its range includes Classic Cream Cheese and Salted Caramel and Pecan cinnamon buns, available in Tear and Share and Two Pack formats.
The products are made using real butter and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, with the founders aiming to bring American-style bakery buns to UK supermarket shelves.
Where do the profits go?
House of Cinn operates as a Community Interest Company, meaning it must use its profits and assets for the benefit of the community.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, the founders confirmed that at least 65 per cent of the company's profits are reinvested in its social mission.
They said: "That mission is to build community for people experiencing housing insecurity or social isolation.
"We believe that meaningful community is just as important as practical support. While housing and financial assistance are essential, feeling connected and included can be transformative for people rebuilding their lives."
The business has partnered with six charities across the UK, supporting people affected by homelessness, domestic abuse, temporary accommodation and social isolation, as well as care leavers.
Its work with Bromley and Croydon Women's Aid has included rent subsidies designed to help women living in refuges remain in employment.
The company has also funded 99 Christmas meals for women and children in refuges, alongside 84 birthday cakes and cards for children living there.
Through Justlife in Brighton and Manchester, it has supported pottery workshops, community lunches, wellbeing sessions and gardening projects for people in temporary accommodation.
The company is also sponsoring Vintage Vibes' Transformational Transport programme for 2026/27, helping isolated older people and those with mobility difficulties attend groups and community events.
Support for Power2Prevail includes funding a Christmas dinner, summer social and careers event for care leavers during 2026.
House of Cinn is also funding one year of volunteers at the Webber Street Day Centre, where weekly evening meals are provided for between 20 and 30 people experiencing homelessness.
Through Accumulate, the Art School for the Homeless, the business funded four laptops for graduates of its training programme during 2024/25, as well as hot meals for people attending workshops.
Why customers still expect quality
Despite its community work, the founders said shoppers would not continue buying the products unless they represented good value and delivered on quality.
They said: "We think purpose alone isn't enough. People are understandably careful about how they spend their money, so the product itself has to justify the price first.
"Our priority is making exceptional cinnamon buns that people genuinely love. The social impact is an added reason to choose us, not the only reason."
They added that every sale contributes towards projects such as meals for families living in refuges, gardening activities for people in temporary accommodation and evening meal services for homeless people.
"For us, every cinnamon bun is a small purchase that contributes to creating moments of dignity, connection and belonging for people who need them most," the founders said.
