Self-described
"kindergarten
dropout"
Tom O'Toole, founder
of Beechworth
Bakery. OPPOSITE:
Abelina
Da Silva Manus, 24, and Herminia
Freitas,
22, of
Timor, spent time with Tom to learn about baking and running a bakery that he set up in East Timor.
IF SOMEONE had told Tom O'Toole as a teenager that he
would one day employ more than 240 people and run six bakeries
with an annual turnover of $15 million he would have declared
them "crackers" or something a little more colourful.
Even today, as he celebrates the 30-year anniversary of his
iconic Beechworth Bakery, he admits he's a little perplexed by his
success, but puts it down to learning to trust others, investing in
training and not being afraid to ask for help.
Tom, 62, who is never short of a word and has a string of the
most quotable quotes that he often reels off, describes himself as
a "kindergarten dropout" who found it impossible to learn the
alphabet because of dyslexia. But even though he is living proof
that you can succeed without a formal education, he certainly
doesn't recommend it.
Pondering the key to ending up with a business that's among
the highest earning single bakery retailers in Australia, Tom
scratches his head and says part of it is continually setting goals
- with definitive dates. "Anyone can set goals but you have to
include dates to achieve them by - that's the secret," he says.
"Even when we were young growing up in Tocumwal and we
were living in a tent with a dirt floor - mum and dad and five
kids - I set myself goals. One was to save up to buy a bunk for my
brother and I when we moved into a house, which I eventually did
by saving money I earned from working on farms at weekends."
He also made a few bob on hi way to school helping himself to
grub-infested a. pies from orchards an : . ~ chern.
Tom dropped out of school at the age of 14 and worked at
the Tocumwal Cordial Company for a couple of years before
becoming an apprentice baker at Hammer's Bakery. Home Pride
later purchased the bakery and sent him to work at Home Pride
Bakery in Beechworth.
In 1974 he purchased a Beechworth site known as the Ideal
Cafe and Milk Bar and opened a bakery that he later sold. Tom
then moved to Augusta in Western Australia, where he made his
mark as a leading rural baker.
"I started doing things such as putting onion, bacon and cheese
on bread and rolls, and it just took off and went crazy," he says.
A decade later he returned to Beechworth, repurchased the
struggling bakery he had sold and opened the doors with just two
staff and 100 product lines.
He now has six bakeries - in Albury, Bendigo, Ballarat,
Beechworth, Healesville and Echuca - where more than a
million customers a year enjoy 257 tasty products, ranging from
berry-topped Snickerdoodles to scones.
Tom says there have been many memorable moments, such as
when he introduced cappuccinos to Beechworth. "We bought 30
cups and saucers and thought it would be plenty, but we soon had
to go back and buy more," he says.
The bakery's famous beestings were introduced in 1988 and
took off, and then Ned Kelly pies became the signature product.
Tom now sells about 100,000 a year. But those Ned Kelly pies later
became a source of contention when a South Australian bakery
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GOVERNMENT
Celebrating the Beechworth Bakery's 30th anniversary this year are Christine O'Toole,
Marty Matassoni, Caleb Matassoni, Jo and Finlay Matassoni, Tom O'Toole, Vaughan
Carter, Zach Percy and Lanie Donaldson.
tried to stop Tom selling them. Tom fought for what he believed in and now owns the
trademark rights for the name Ned Kelly Pies everywhere except South Australia.
Tom also recalls the time when the Echuca bakery opened with a grand sale of
apple pies for just five cents. "That went really well until we realised a staff member
had inadvertently used salt instead of sugar in 500 pies," he says.
It's also been a personal roller-coaster ride for the father of four, who says it
wasn't until he turned 32 and his first ma1riage ended that he learnt to seek help
while suffering from depression. "That was a turning point and I got help and
that's my message to others - don't be afraid to seek help," he says. "There's always
someone who will listen." He married Christine in 1986 and they have two sons.
Tom says he also realised the value of handing over responsibility to others, such
as 'Marty Mattasoni, who started part-time aged 13 as an afternoon boy to 'stack and
crack' - shelves and eggs. He has been the general manager for the past eight years.
Tom also believes in investing money in ongoing training for his employees. "Other
bakery owners ask me, 'Why do you spend so much time and money on training your
staff - what if you train them and they leave?'" he says. "My answer is, 'What if you
don't train them and they stay?'"
These days Tom also spends time giving back to the community at large,
promoting causes such as Lifeline. In 2006 he travelled 2000 kilometres along the
Murray River from Albury to Murray Bridge in a bath tub promoting Lifeline and
is planning a drive to the Gulf Country in his Model A Ford, a purchase he made
over the phone. "There are a lot of people hurting in rural Australia and they need
to know Lifeline is there to help them," he says.Tom has also set up a bakery in East
Timor to provide employment and ongoing training.
"Baking is the world's second-oldest profession and it's a hard game to be in, but for
me it is such a positive experience," he says. "Nothing makes me happier than having
empty shelves after working in the bakery all day.It's not because there's money in the
till, but because people have bought the product and they love it."
But if he finds a half-eaten pie in any of his bakeries, look out! "I'll say to my staff,
'They've only eaten half the pie, what's wrong?' and they reply, 'It was their fourth
bloody pie, that's why'," he says.
Tom is well-known on the public-speaking circuit and loves retelling his story and
motivating others. He has also collected many prizes for his business and tourismpromotion efforts.
But one thing is for sure - he will always be more at home in his baker's whites than
a suit, chatting to those who come in for yet another Ned Kelly pie or beesting. ~