Baker Jarrod Deaton has described his new Fyshwick venue as the "Formula 1 of pastry rooms" as his business continues to smash hospitality COVID-19 concerns.
Deaton and Three Mills Bakery opened the doors to a new cafe in the industrial heart of Canberra on Friday.
Mr Deaton said the decision to open up in Fyshwick was due to a growing demand for deliveries, which its existing location in Majura couldn't keep up with.
"During COVID we had a massive focus on delivery and were able to hire a lot of people as drivers," Mr Deaton said.
"When cafes began opening up again, we were running deliveries and service out of the one small spot in Majura and the space was really letting us down."
Going in and out of lockdown forced Canberra's cafe scene to adapt. For staff traditionally on a casual contract, the likelihood of meeting JobKeeper criteria was slim and this meant a lot of change without security.
Mr Deaton was grateful to take some of those people on board.
"It's been really great, being able to recruit a new round of workers amidst so much uncertainty," he said.
Now, a space big enough to have once held a wholesale car yard has been converted to a pastry production warehouse.
"Without these kind of facilities in Majura, we had our pastry chefs working 24 hours a day," he said.
A new "pastry room" with state-of-the-art blast-chilling techniques meant staff would no longer need to work overnight.
"This especially helps our older workers who have worked in the pastry industry for years and accepted the reality of overnight hours," Mr Deaton said.
Mr Deaton said his relations with local producers had already been strengthened by the new venue.
"Before, we were only able to take a barrel of apples from the farmers' markets. There was no real emotional strong relationships forming but now we're able to go out and set up big deals with local farmers that will last a long time," he said.
"This is a big jump but we're confident it's the right one. We've already had a busy morning."
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