SWEET SUCCESS rowiescakes.com.au
Sydney baker Rowie Dillon launched Rowie’s Cakes in 2001. Now her range of cakes, biscuits, bread and savoury treats – variously vegan and free of wheat, gluten, dairy, nuts and eggs – are available at retailers nationwide as well as on Qantas flights.
What’s the most delicate item you’ve flown interstate?
I’ve sent pavlovas to David Jones from Sydney to Melbourne. They are not an easy thing to ship!
How did that work?
With a lot of delicate precision
– the shell is as breakable as Dresden china. They have to be transported chilled and we make it very clear, via stickers on the packaging and in face-to-face discussions with the Qantas Freight team, that they’re precious cargo. They can’t be tossed around or tipped on their side. I think we’ve had only one casualty out of 400.
What’s been a high point of your business?
In 2008, when I got a call from Qantas Catering about making a cake that was free of wheat, gluten, dairy, soy and nuts. I said, “Okay, let me have a go at this.” I decided to try to make it egg-free as well and just couldn’t crack it; everything I made was revolting. Then one of my producers dropped over some quinoa and amaranth flours. No-one was using quinoa back then. I thought to myself, “Let’s give these crazy flours a go”– and it worked. That was a breakthrough moment.
When do you rely most on Qantas Freight?
When I need a really fast turnaround – theirs is second to none. Because we service Qantas flights, we keep frozen stock at airports from Perth to Cairns. But if, say, the stock of Rowie’s Wonder Bites drops suddenly at Brisbane Airport because they have a run on passengers who require special meals, we can react quickly. We put chiller stickers all over the package, which highlights that it’s perishable priority freight, and book online. Our headquarters is five minutes from Sydney Airport so a driver can get it there by 9am and it will be in Brisbane three hours later.
Which of your products do Qantas customers like most?
Rowie’s Passionfruit Mousse, which is vegan and free of gluten and dairy, is out-of-control yummy. But our Veggie Burgers and Beef Burgers, made with Rowie’s Burger Buns, are also crazy good.