Meet Our Suppliers: Baker Tom’s
With Real Bread Week in full swing, we hopped in the car and trundled down the A30 following the scent of freshly baked bread. Our noses took us down to Pool, Cornwall and we wound up on Baker Tom’s doorstep!
We were warmly welcomed by marketing manager Dani and after a tour of the kitchen, a lesson in the creation of real bread, and a sample of a superb new cinnamon swirl recipe, we settled down for a chat to fully understand what Baker Tom’s is all about.
Image: What's life without carbs ay?
A bakery with the Southwest at its heart
It quickly became apparent when chatting to Dani that Baker Tom’s, much like Eversfield Organic, has a backstory that is well worth shouting about. “Around 15 years ago, our founder Tom was forced into an emergency bake when the baker at the farm shop he worked for called in sick”, Dani recalled. “He’d learnt how to bake artisan sourdough in his early twenties and the customers loved his work so much that he was encouraged to carry on. He began to make loaves from scratch with simple, natural and local ingredients. He would deliver these loaves to local outlets on his push bike and after word got round he would be sold out every single day.”
Dani continued: “This was the beginning of an upward spiral in which Tom had to employ other bakers in order to keep up with the demand! Fast forward to today and we’re operating from our retail side of the business with our three bakeries in Wadebridge, Falmouth and Penzance, as well as our wholesale side so it’s been a pretty breathless journey.”
This journey has not been completely smooth sailing, however. A particularly ferocious storm last year resulted in the roof at their Pool HQ being blown off. Dani explained: “We’re back on our feet now after what has been a difficult period. The storm damage meant that we had to temporarily close our on-site café whilst repairs and refurbishments have taken place. We’ve been inundated with emails, calls and messages of support that we’re ever thankful for. It’s clear so many people loved the café. This has added to our excitement now that refurbishments have finished and an outdoor seating area added, meaning we are able to offer the freshest baked goods and hot beverages to our customers once again!”
Image: Baker Tom's prioritises hand-crafted care in each loaf.
We can personally vouch for the quality of these goods. We’re passionate about a few things here at Eversfield: A sustainable process, organic ingredients and supporting local producers. We take comfort in knowing that every loaf we receive from Baker Tom’s has been hand-crafted with care using the finest organic ingredients. Another reason we love them is their shared appreciation of the supreme tastes of the Southwest.
Dani explained the importance of this connection. She said: “Sticking together with local producers and supporting each other through thick and thin is one of our primary beliefs. To be able to offer local people, local products which are hand-crafted with local ingredients has never been more important. The fact that we’re lucky enough to be able to call Southwest ingredients our local ingredients is a bonus.” It’s safe to say Dani shares some of our favouritism towards our local producers!
It was reassuring to see that Baker Tom’s were so set on sticking to their mission. Although they have expanded since the days of Tom filling his bike basket with loaves, the process is still the same. Hand-crafted care goes into every single product and they stick to the most pure and natural ingredients possible.
We are proud to stock a brand that provides outstanding produce, prioritises support for local producers and interacts with their customer base on a personal level. If you’re in the area, prioritise a visit to one of their Cornwall locations or one of our Farm Shops, but if you can’t wait, grab a taste of Baker Tom’s story in your next online grocery shop!