4 | Bakers Delight T T Bernadette Cooney Bakery brand scoops two awards Bakers Delight Hamilton East won Retail & Hospitality Franchisee of the Year, awarded to franchisee owner-operators, Nilupa Weerakoon and Darshana Hewage. “We’re incredibly proud of our franchisees for representing the best of our brand and making a tangible difference in their communities.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Nationwide franchise brand, Bakers Delight, has achieved remarkable success in the 2024 Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards, hosted for the 29th year by the Franchise Association of New Zealand. The awards, held at Cordis Hotel, Auckland in early November, resulted in two significant accolades for Bakers Delight, says managing director Craig Notman. With the brand’s focus on quality, health-conscious products and community engagement, Bakers Delight exemplifies excellence in a very competitive, retail and hospitality sector. Bakers Delight Hamilton East won Retail & Hospitality Franchisee of the Year, awarded to franchisee owner-operators, Nilupa Weerakoon and Darshana Hewage. Judges praised their strong customer-service skills and impactful community contributions, describing their submission as a reflection of passion and excellence. Their journey, from Dubai to successful franchise owners in New Zealand, highlights their enterprising spirit and dedication over the past 13 years. “We’re incredibly proud of our franchisees for representing the best of our brand and making a tangible difference in their communities,” says Craig. Award entrants go through a rigorous assessment by a panel of independent judges, and Nilupa and Darshana shone through for their consistently high levels of customer satisfaction. In a separate category, the brand also took away the Franchisee Excellence in Community Contribution Award, presented to Michael Faulkner of Bakers Delight Pukekohe. The inaugural winner of this award, and a community stalwart, Michael supports local initiatives such as donating bread to schools and sponsoring sports clubs. His deep connection to Pukekohe underscores the brand’s ethos of giving back. “Our franchisees are Kiwis supporting Kiwis,” says Craig. “Giving back and fostering community is woven into our business model, whether that’s through donating free product to support community fundraisers, or donating all of our unsold products to charity at the end of each day, or partnering with national initiatives such as Prostate Cancer, I am Hope and Gumboot Friday.” Bakers Delight currently operates 19 franchises across New Zealand, but has plans to expand to 80 stores in coming years. The strategy focuses on opening new bakeries, bringing passionate franchisees on board, and evolving their product lines to align with consumer’s needs. “Growth is our priority. While we expand, we’re committed to maintaining our quality standards and keeping up with the needs of health-conscious consumers,” Craig says. Bakers Delight’s hallmark is its scratch-baking approach, ensuring all products are made on the premises, fresh daily without pre-made or frozen doughs. The franchise has recently added a health-conscious range of high-fibre, low-GI white and wholemeal loaves to its tempting range, which includes artisan breads like sourdough, ciabatta and Turkish breads. “As a brand we’re committed to fresh, nutritious options and diverse tastes,” says Craig. Bakers Delight is not your typical type of bakery – they are strongly focused on bread products, and were the first to introduce the famous cheesymite scroll to market. “Much copied but never beaten since,” says Craig. “While we don’t sell pies, yet, we do sell lots of savoury and sweet lines like mini pizzas, chessymite scrolls, almond croissants and custard and berry scrolls for food-to-go options.” With its focus on growth and innovation, Bakers Delight is poised to become ingrained in the fabric of the communities the stores serve. As a leading supplier of bakery ingredient solutions, Mauri offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality flours, yeasts, grains, bread and cake pre-mixes, and improvers. Mauri has been a proud major supplier of quality bakery ingredients to Bakers Delight for over 25 years. 0800 937 866 | orders@maurianz.com | www.mauri.co.nz Mauri congratulates Bakers Delight on their nomination for the 2024Westpac Franchise of the Year Award.
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