Ready to rise to challenge

They may have turned a backyard hobby into a real thriving business but for Alex and Sue Burge running an artisan bakery has never stopped being fun.

Their business - Ciabatta Bakery - is perhaps best known to many in Rotorua for the Long Dog, the 42cm ciabatta hot dog it sells at the city's Thursday Night Market. Yet there's a lot more to their story than that - starting with a passion for bread.

Artisan, quality, breads are, according to Mr Burge, poised to take off in New Zealand.

"We are [with bread] where New Zealand was with coffee 15 years ago," he said. "We are on the brink of a new taste sensation."

In 2008 Swiss-born Mr Burge had been a Waiariki Institute of Technology lecturer for 16 years, teaching bakery, patisserie and cookery.

He also had a "mini bakery" in his backyard, where the trained pastry chef (and self taught baker) made ciabatta bread for family and friends.

That year the Burges, with friends, started the Third Place Cafe in Rotorua, where the ciabatta was a hit. Word spread and soon his bread was in other Rotorua cafes. Then came a call from food distribution company Bidvest, wanting to supply it on a daily basis to its clients throughout the central North Island.

"If we were going to supply them we had to look at our capabilities, we needed to be able to grow," said Mrs Burge. "That was our catalyst."

So Mr Burge gave up his teaching job and they moved into the White St factory and a 24/7 operation.

"The plan then was to focus on one speciality product, the ciabatta, and leave it at that," he said. But then they figured workers in the mainly industrial area needed lunch, so why not cater to them too?

Now, there's a full shop attached to the factory selling a range of fresh breads, sandwiches, pastries, cakes, biscuits and of course, that Long Dog. Mr Burge has even developed his own dressings and seasonings, which are flying off the shelves. Mr Burge said people made the journey from all over Rotorua for lunch, a chat and a few baking tips.

Last week marked another milestone for the company with the official opening of its Artisan Bakery Experience in the building next door. In it, Mr Burge and his team will run day long baking and bread tasting workshops - they did 12 last year and they all sold out.

Proving his creativity stretches beyond the kitchen, Mr Burge did the refit of the new building and made the stunning North Island table, around which customers can have a sandwich or even hold meetings. One local company recently hosted a meeting of its North Island managers around it - seating each manager beside their town.

Mr Burge said the plan going forward was to focus on lunches and the baking workshops, rather than supplying their products further afield. There's been an offer to set up a franchise operation in Auckland and an outlet in the CBD has been discussed. We'll see, maybe when the timing's right, say he and his wife.

Both admit that local focus may not necessarily be the most profitable plan, but that's not really the point. They love the social side, the people that drop in, and the chance to educate Kiwis about real bread. For now, it seems they have found the perfect recipe for success - making a living indulging a passion and having a great time along the way.

Ciabatta Bakery is located at 38 White St. For information on artisan bakery classes call (07) 348 3332.