My first workers clock on at 2am. (Six points)
The next shift starts rolling in at 3.30am and is staggered until 5am. (Five points)
And finally the bulk of the team turns up at 6am. (Four points)
With the doors thrown open to the public from 6.30am. (Three points)
Not closing again until 6pm. (Two points)
With the last crew of the day then arriving about 6.30pm. (one point)
Did you get me?
Come on, surely those times were a dead-set giveaway.
No?
OK. One freebie clue – get it right and you win a donut.
My names start with B and B.
Bingo.
No, not me, you.
Of course it’s Beechworth Bakery.
Where the bakers start at 2am every day, the decorators are in from 3.30am, shop staff at 6am, customers in from 6.30am and last one out at 6pm. To make way for the cleaners, who come in soon after to get it all sparkling and shiny for the bakers, who are just a few hours away.
Store manager Simone Coutts is rightly proud of the shop’s reputation, the quality of food it produces and its role as a good citizen in the twin towns community.
“For example,” Simone said, “we have 54 local people on the payroll and our emphasis is always on employing locals first.
“You would be amazed how connected our team is; nearly everyone through the door knows, or is known by, one of our team members; it’s often as much a social occasion as it is a shopping visit,” she said.
But despite being such an enthusiastic local business and local employer, Simone knows the cornerstone of her store’s success is the variety and quality of the products it serves up every day.
And at this time of the year the big production numbers are the Christmas specials.
Which is where that enthusiasm comes back in again.
“We are so keen to start the festive season we bake extra hard to make sure we are ready to go extra early in the year,” Simone said.
Producing gems ranging from Christmas hampers (mini, plum pudding, Christmas cake – and the ultimate), Christmas shortbread, fruit mice tarts, gingerbread Christmas trees, Christmas cakes and, of course, plum puddings.
All on top of the standard Beechworth Bakery fare – that’s way too many things to cover here but you probably know the score. Start with bread and bread rolls and work your way through the cakes and other tantalising goodies all the way up to the hot food, the drinks and beyond.
It’s no wonder they have to start so early, to keep up with the demand.
Simone herself is on something of a fast track too, keeping up with the demands.
She has worked at Beechworth Bakery in Echuca for the past eight years as a part time office manager and was made store manager in July – which meant a switch to fulltime and a lot more responsibility.
“Apart from everything we have to offer our customers we are also big supporters of the wider community – from working with local charities supplying them with surplus production for their food welfare programs to providing bread to school breakfast clubs,” Simone said.
“We do all we can to help local groups, local people, because that’s what we are about,” she said.
“But in the meantime we recommend you get down to the shop in High St and get some of our Christmas goodies so you don’t miss out.”
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