AS Orange’s popularity as a food destination grows it has become too much of a good thing for a local bakery after its application to attend the Orange Farmers Market (OFM) was declined because there were too many similar stalls.
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Home-based Rise Artisan Bakery co owner Mel McDonell said she was shocked and left speechless when applications to attend the June and July markets were turned down.
“We get a lot of people who do get our bread asking us if we will be at the farmers’ market, we feel that we are missing out on a lot of business by not being there, particularly since there’s still a baker there from the Blue Mountains,” Mrs McDonald said.
“It’s definitely slowing our growth down, because we can’t afford our own shopfront at this point the market was going to be a big part of our business. We really did not think we would be rejected, I don’t know if that’s presumptuous of us but it was a big shock.”
Speaking on behalf of the Orange Farmers Markets Committee president Katherine Shannon said saying no was not easy but the committee consulted its market charter and the decision will be reviewed the end of the year.
“There are currently six stalls selling bread and/or baked goods at the Orange Farmers’ Market. This makes up approximately 10 per cent of the market,” she said.
Mrs Shannon said the decision was based upon ensuring current stallholders have a fair chance to sell their product at the market and for consumers to have a variety of choice.
“We owe courtesy to our existing stallholders who are current financial members of OFM until December 31, 2016.”
She said the committee started a waiting list, for produce at capacity, to allow everyone a fair go and the review will look at whether there are producers wishing to become a stallholder located closer to the area.
Ms McDonell said her husband Anthony started Rise Artisan Bakery in January after transforming an old train carriage in her parents backyard into a bakery with a custom made woodfired oven and they built their customer base through home deliveries and through the Agrestic Grocer and Grocer and Co Organics.
“He was a chef for 15 odd years but after a snowboarding accident he couldn’t do that so he went into IT but he always loved making bread, he loves making sourdough."
