Business Central September 2020

| 45 Volume 5 | Issue 3 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT » Carterton - Clareville Bakery Artisan baking in a beautiful setting Mike and Rose Kloeg have brought their passion for European artisan baking and real ingredients to Clareville. Kelly Deeks C lareville Bakery is creating artisan baked products on the northern edge of Carterton, combining time honoured methods and natural ingredients with a beautiful rural setting for customers to enjoy. Mike and Rose Kloeg were looking for a new opportunity in 2013 when they found an old church in Clareville that was operating as a cafe. Purchasing the business as a going concern, they renovated, strengthened, and redecorated the church, making a point of including a full-length viewing window into the bakery where bakers could interact with customers and customers could see how and where their food was being made. “It’s a beautiful premises, out in the country,” Mike says. “By the time we’re halfway through the day, it’s only 6am. We can have a coffee on the deck and hear the roosters crowing and the cows mooing in the paddocks. It’s quite a special time.” Mike and Rose have brought their passion for European artisan baking and real ingredients to Clareville. Mike says completing his level four craft baking apprenticeship 20 years ago taught him the basics, but even then there was an emphasis on quick, easy, and fool-proof baking. “We had to use things like bread improvers which cuts out fermentation times, adding in enzymes rather than creating enzymes through the baking process. “At Clareville Bakery, everything is made from scratch. We’re pushing natural flavour and creating flavour within the baking process.” The Clareville Bakery team of 28 includes bakers, kitchen staff, and wait staff, and Mike says he has a phenomenal team. They embrace a culture of open- ness and a willingness to learn. “Our motto is how can we better our best? Each department has the ability to critique the other departments. ‘If something doesn’t come out the way we wanted it to, we all take the time go over what hap- pened and what we could do differently.” Clareville Bakery sources its ingredients locally where possible, such as Wairarapa Eggs and Grey- town Honey. 100% New Zealand grown wheat flour comes from Farmers Mill in Timaru, New Zealand’s only independent grower owned and operated flour producer. Mike says it’s fantastic to be able to work with like-minded Wairarapa and New Zealand suppliers who are all super passionate about producing high quality products. Clareville Bakery operates online ordering for its packaged products and delivers these all around New Zealand. During lockdown the online menu was extended, then online demand dropped off as soon as the shop reopened. “Now they don’t have to stay home, our customers like coming in to hang out with the staff and see the selection.” Support from Carterton locals post-Covid has been enormous, and Mike says this is as per usual for the Carterton community. “They’ve always been supportive. Everyone in Carterton tries to buy local, as these are the ones who will also support you.” “... everything is made from scratch. We’re pushing natural flavour and creating flavour within the baking process.”