myfocus
in
bakery
48
IT's all
about
As Australian bakers work to cement their position
in populated markets, the spaces in which they are
operating are becoming increasingly innovative.
Australian Baking Business takes a look at six booming
enterprises based in weird and wonderful locations.
Words
d Rowena Grant-Fros
n
a
l
l
e
rigg
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Kylie T
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in focus
Formula Nun
Breads and cakes baked at Melbourne’s
Convent Bakery have a secret ingredient:
history. The bakery is located in the former
home of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
and uses two scotch ovens the nuns
installed back in 1901.
The convent itself is a little more than 5km
west of the CBD on a meandering curve of
the Yarra River. While the Sisters of Good
Shepherd haven’t used the site since 1975,
the eight-building site still attract tourists
and visitors who come to admire the
architecture and points of historical interest.
The convent complex is located on 7ha
and, because of its distance from the CBD
and proximity to both a river and a farm,
has a sense of serene and calm unusual in
a place so close to a major city centre.
Throughout the years, the different
precincts within the convent site have been
transformed into a complete cultural centre,
with spaces dedicated to art exhibitions,
businesses, performance studios and even
a radio station.
Not surprisingly, the bakery attracts a lot
of members from Melbourne’s cultural
community who have studios at the
convent and who spend time relaxing,
50
thinking and creating in the bakery’s leafy
outdoor sitting area.
“People, of course, are amazed by the
overall environment here,” the bakery's
manager Daniela Martino says.
“It’s very quiet, there is lots of green and
they can relax. They’re still in the city, but in
a very different environment to a typical city
café, which is usually just the street.”
"It’s a stress-free environment."
However, with the unique location comes a
few challenges. While the bakery attracts a
lot of one-off visitors and tourists, there are
few passers-by.
“The bakery is located in the city, but at the
same time, it’s tucked away and isolated,”
Daniela says.
“People have to know we are here, because
there are no other retail outlets close by to
draw them in. We’re not in a position where
people just walk by and say, ‘Ah! Why don’t
we stop here?’.”
Location aside, the Convent Bakery has
a reputation for roasting its own Fairtrade
coffee beans, which are ground and
brewed in store and sold on the internet;
and is particularly well known for its
sourdough bread, which comes in unique
varieties and daily specials like beetroot
loaf and pumpkin loaf. The bakery also
uses organic flour and no preservatives.
What's more, everything is made by hand,
with only a couple of machine mixers
on site.
Their sourdough is so famous, Daniela
says, because the bakery’s ovens give
all their breads flavours and qualities
that are completely different to most
commercial loaves. The wood fire from the
ovens gives the dough a distinctive taste
and, because loaves cook slowly, a fuller
flavour develops.
Several times a month the bakery also
hosts bread making nights: one for
beginners and one for mastering the art
of gluten-free baking. Students are taught
how to make pizza, bread, calzone and
all sorts of bakery goods using traditional
methods and techniques.
The difference of course, is that when
students go home they don’t have a turnof-the-century oven to give their home
baking that Convent Bakery flavour.
“That’s why they keep coming back into the
shop,” Daniela says with a smile.