“All you need is a bit of creativity and a lot of passion” Andy Haddon tells me, placing a piece of Christmas cake with a carrot marzipan topping in front of me. The christmas-carrot cake hybrid was a baking error made at Big River Bakery, one that Andy’s wife, Gail Lawler, suggests is “even better than the original.”
The cake ‘incident’ represents a lot about what Big River Bakery stands for: it’s a business that uses innovation to create change. This change I refer to is not just limited to baked goods and cake, but is based on the social impact the bakery has on the local community.
Source: Marina Snyder and Facebook@BigRiverBakeryNE
Set up in 2019, Big River Bakery opens its doors six days a week in Shieldfield. Walking into the shop for your first time and you’ll most likely be hit by the delicious smell of a collection of bread rolls, muffins and the iconic Geordie classic ‘stottie’. This, however, is no average bakery, for Big River Bakery has a unique business model with the focus of the community at its heart.
Although a commercial store, Big River self-funds projects to help people who are struggling, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. Its many contributions include providing daily breakfast bags to local schools and excess food given to refugee families.
With inflation on the rise, many Newcastle businesses have started and arguably struggled with ‘Pay what you can afford schemes’ such as the likes of Magic Hat Café. Big River Bakery is no exception to the ‘trend’ but what sets them apart is their adaptation. Where these schemes have often struggled due to the ‘stigma’ around charity, as Gail mentions, the bakery has “free food for anybody on Wednesdays, not just the homeless. Because what we try to do here is have inclusivity.”
This theme of inclusivity runs its course throughout the entire bakery, even when it comes to the employees. A quarter of the bakery’s workforce is neurodiverse, as their employability programme means local people who struggle in the job market, such as ex-convicts and those with disabilities, can thrive at the bakery.
One of the bakers working in the back of the bakery. Image Credit: Marina Snyder
With all these different projects and schemes put into place, Big River Bakery does not stop there. With the annual rate of inflation reaching a 41-year high at 11.1% in October 2022, Big River Bakery has also implemented a ‘Warm hub’ from January to March. As a reaction to rising energy prices, the hub offered a warm “place to come to, even for a few hours” said Gail, “along with food and activities to support the community”. It is planned to go ahead again in 2024 due to continuing struggles with living costs in the UK.
Gail talks about some of the programmes and projects Big River Bakery carries out to help those in need and the importance of trust and inclusivity within the business.
Despite Big River’s attempts to support people through the cost-of-living crisis, they have not been immune to these rising prices.
When I asked Gail about the effects of inflation on business, I witnessed the first frown I had seen from her all morning. “As a business, we try to keep all the costs in our shop down, all our stotties are a pound, and I don’t think we make any money on those. We try to keep all prices affordable where we can – obviously, that has a big impact, with the cost of ingredients going up, we are making less money”.
Gail then told me that costs could come up to about 18,000 a year…for just one project. I struggled to not look bewildered as she explained how they don’t receive any grant funding because of how they operate a commercial business. Wondering, and slightly concerned about how they manage to survive these costs, and still make such a large contributing difference to the community, I was reminded of what Andy had said to me at the start: “Creativity and passion are the answer”.
Andy couldn’t have been more right, as through paid bakery courses and an online shop selling food and merchandise, Andy and Gail are innovative when it comes to sustaining their business. A particular shop favourite is the character ‘Scottie the Stottie’ which features in his own children’s book to generate more sales.
Source: Big River Bakery on-line shop
Gail and Andy’s dreams for a better world don’t stop there, as they continue, like their stotties, to try to grow and expand. In the future, they spoke about their hopes for more premises in other locations, such as a bigger shop in Byker, and their work with Newcastle Medical School to create a protein-enriched stottie to benefit health.
“The Vision of the bakery is that the northeast of England becomes globally recognized as a place where healthy, affordable and sustainable global food systems are happening. On a scale, we are demonstrating part of that in a small way through this concept, but we want to grow that. That’s the vision. Start small and grow out from that.”
Andy Haddon holding a ‘star wand’ which were given to customers when the bakery first opened. Image Credit: Marina Snyder
Despite the everyday challenges and struggles with costs, Big River Bakery continues to use its funds for a bigger and brighter cause. Its social impact on the Shielfield community can be used as an inspiration to all, for a need for wider change within society.
As I left the bakery that day, back into the cold and wet conditions of Shieldfield housing estate, I looked back at the brightly lit bakery, exposed on the street like a guiding star in the night sky. “Our logo is a star” Andy had explained “Each side of the star represents an element needed to survive Fire, Water, Air, Earth and the last one: Spirit.”
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