Opening of New Norcia Natural Breads bakery in Mt Hawthorn

28/5/96

Devotees of popular New Norcia 'natural' breads now have the opportunity to buy their favourite loaves hot from the oven in Perth.

Commerce and Trade Minister Hendy Cowan today opened the New Norcia Natural Breads bakery in Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn.

He was quick to reassure people that the new Mt Hawthorn premises would not replace the company's original bakery in New Norcia.

"This new facility is designed to supplement present capacity," Mr Cowan said.

"The extra demand created after the company won the Small Business Development Corporation's 'Best Potential Exporter Award' in February has hastened the need for this bakery."

Not that it is an entirely new bakery.

When New Norcia Natural Bread's proprietor Kingsley Sullivan began renovating the Mt Hawthorn premises he discovered a 95-year-old wood-fired oven which had been sealed up and unused for the past 45 years.

The old oven is now back in full working order producing the company's natural breads.

"I understand the recipe for the bakery's Nutcake is based on an age-old Benedictine formula of such quality that we are now seeing New Norcia Nutcake shipped back to Italy, the traditional source of 'panforte'," Mr Cowan said.

"Small though it is, this company has potential to grow in the domestic market as well as overseas.

"New Norcia Nutcake is already available in Sydney, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

"It demonstrates that time-honoured traditional methods have a place in today's markets."

New Norcia Natural Breads started baking bread using traditional techniques in a wood-fired oven in New Norcia in 1993 in association with the Benedictine community.

To help visitors find their way to the original New Norcia bakery a tourist information centre has been set up at the Mt Hawthorn premises.

Media contact: Peter Jackson 222 9595