Busy Baker back open for business
Staff happy to be back working and baking
The Busy Baker in Katikati is open again after a forced two-month closure due to the national and global coronavirus pandemic.
While everyone is pleased to see the popular bakery reopen in level 2, for co-owners, mother and daughter team Cherie and Stacey Wheeler, having the shop closed has hit them hard.
Cherie says it’s great to be open again, “but we have to stay open now because it’s hurt us badly”.
Products at the Busy Baker are made fresh daily with staff starting at 5am preparing for the day. So when the Government announced the country was going into lockdown Cherie says they were not happy.
“We could understand why . . . and she (Prime Minister) did the right thing.
“We had a lot of stock we had to bin which ended up being chicken food.”
Staff took some things home that couldn’t be saved and other items, such as flour went to friends and family.
“We had to shut down most of our fridges and freezers to save power.”
Four other staff are employed at the Busy Baker, Zaria Green, Tia Cashmore, Sasha Dunnery and Nicole Cochrane. The Wheelers were mindful that some of their staff, including Stacey, have young children and the Government’s wage subsidy has helped, although there were some hiccups, Cherie says.
Now the 12-week subsidy has finished staff hours have had to be cut back and the business is operating on a tight budget. Cherie says the first few days of opening were huge, but its petered off.
“We know people are under pressure and have lost jobs and are holding on to their money.”
Stacey has worked at the bakery for 10 years — six with the previous owners, and four in the partnership. She is pleased that the shop has reopened as people had been asking.
“I’d run into customers at the supermarket asking, are you open yet?”
The Busy Baker is renowned for its gluten and dairy-free products including pies, quiches and cakes.
Cherie says during lockdown it was definitely hard not going into work.
“I think we coped okay, but we were bored and stressed.”
Stacey says it’s been hard, but neat to do it together.
As Stacey was part of Cherie’s bubble they were able to clean the shop from head to toe during lockdown to relieve boredom.
People are reminded to shop locally to help support local businesses such as this through the Covid crisis.