Geraldine centre is up for nearly everything

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OFFERS CLOSE on Wednesday for a boutique wedding and function venue business, with its own specialised bakery and patisserie-making kitchen, in Geraldine.

StoneBridge, at 842 WinchesterGeraldine Rd, is a purpose-built event-hosting centre with a commercial accommodation arm. It includes a two-storey homestead with four bedrooms, two lounges and two bathrooms, and a selfcontained studio unit with French doors to a private courtyard and outdoor spa area.

The main function hall seats up to 250 guests and can accommodate 200 more with the addition of a marquee to the side of the building.

As well as parking for 500 vehicles, there’s a private helicopter pad.

Sue Morton, of Bayleys Canterbury, says StoneBridge combines multiple revenue streams with the potential to expand into the food service sector.

‘‘A brand new bakery and patisserie section was added to the business in 2015, and until recently has been successfully producing everything from croissants, breads and doughnuts, through to sausage rolls and pies for the functions hosted in the main hall.

‘‘The bakehouse is connected to the main kitchen area and services an outdoor seating area with its own pizza oven and capacity for up to 48 guests either standing or seated in wooden park bench-like tables with spotlighting around the walls.

‘‘However, there is the considerable opportunity for a new baker/pastry chef to join the company to either expand the production side of the bakery to sell StoneBridge-branded product to the local foodservice market, or to sub-lease the facility to someone else while retaining the right for Stonebridge chefs to still bake their own products for on-site functions.

‘‘Either of those options opens up the potential for someone with patisserie experience or a culinary and hospitality background to take on the broader Stonebridge operations.’’

As well as a commercial-grade stainless steel kitchen, Stonebridge has landscaped gardens with a man-made lake and simple beam bridge.

‘‘The professionally-groomed grounds are a wedding photographer’s dream,’’ Morton says. ‘‘The property is planted in a menagerie of trees, shrubs and flowering bushes, all set on a 3.735-hectare rural backdrop.’’

Financial records show StoneBridge’s gross profit percentage has been growing steadily over the past five trading years, improving from 76.89 per cent in 2012/13 to 89.88 per cent in 2015/16.

Morton says dozens of weddings have been booked for 2018 and 2019. Most are for parties of at least 100 guests, with a ball locked in for April next year to host 300 people.

Morton says many of the functions with booked food and beverage packages also have reserved rooms at the homestead and self-contained unit.

‘‘Having complementary function services is one of the obvious benefits of running a vertically-integrated business.’’

❚ For more information, contact Sue Morton on (03) 687 1227, 027 600 5777 or at sue.morton@bayleys.co.nz