Baker has doubled the dough

Baker David Hall had been waiting for years for the right moment to start his own bakery and had earlier fully investigated costs and other issues.

Suddenly he just didn't want to wait any longer. His children had reached intermediate school age, his wife Laney was working and also had some time in her day to do the accounting and administrative work, they had "a bit more collateral", and he says he thought "why not?"

He took a two-year lease on 81 Port Rd and opened The Baker's Crust last month.

"I guess I might be part crazy, I don't know, I just felt like it was the right time for me," he says.

"I thought if I could make a bakery work now while things are a bit tight, when things get better it will be well-positioned to take off."

The prep had been extensive and involved his whole working life from age 16 when he signed up for a full craft baking apprenticeship in Whangarei. He went on to work at various bakeries, including managing the Pak'nSave bakery for the past six years.

He gets up at 3am for a 4am start at The Baker's Crust and his full-time employee arrives 90 minutes later. He employs a part-timer on Saturday from 8am-2pm and another part-timer who started this week.

The bakery offers speciality and standard breads, buns, cakes, pies, filled rolls and sandwiches, specialty cheeses and drinks, and workplace catering.

Mr Hall says six weeks on and he is preparing twice the original amount of dough. "Trade gets a bit better every day. I'm starting to see the regulars coming in."