What sparked the idea for your new Bread Mixes?

We were motivated to start our bread mixes to make the product more accessible for our customers. We have lots of customers in the South Island and strong demand for our bread, but because we don’t use heavy preservatives, we needed a way for people to enjoy it without worrying about it expiring before it arrived. The bread mixes felt like the perfect solution — a way for people to bake fresh bread at home while still getting that same quality and taste.

What was the development process like? Any challenges?

We’d already done all the groundwork for our recipe, which is based on what we already make for our fresh bread in the bakery. But what we really wanted to focus on was making sure that anyone could bake it at home. A lot of the development process was about making it as simple and user-friendly as possible. We wanted even people who don’t see themselves as confident home cooks to be able to give it a go. The biggest challenge was fine-tuning the steps, so we did a lot of experimenting and tested it with people of all different cooking abilities to make sure the instructions were clear, the process was easy, and the results were consistently great.

How have customers reacted so far? Any standout feedback?

We’ve had really good feedback. One thing that stood out to us was realising how creative people were being with our bread mixes. They weren’t just making the standard loaf, but using it for all sorts of things. We’ve had people write in saying they’re making scones, waffles, and more. It’s been amazing to see how versatile the mix is, and how people are using it as a go-to gluten-free substitute in all kinds of baking. Lots of families are loving being able to whip up fresh bread for lunches, and having the convenience of keeping the mix in the pantry to use whenever they need it.

How makes these mixes special?

I think what makes our mixes special, just like our loaves, is the quality, the ingredients, and how easy they are to recreate at home. You can actually have a nice, soft loaf at home without it being hard to make or needing heaps of ingredients. You just add water, yeast, and oil — it’s that simple. Where possible, we’ve used local ingredients too. But mostly, I’d say the quality really stands out. You’re getting an artisan-style loaf at home, which is pretty amazing, I think.

Any advice for getting the best results at home?

I’d just say if you have a stand mixer, use it. If you don’t, just make sure you mix it for the full amount of time. You’re not developing gluten like you would with a regular loaf of bread, but you are creating a really soft, aerated loaf. The more you mix it, the fluffier your loaf will be. So try not to skip that process, even if it seems like a long time to be mixing. It definitely improves the texture of your loaf if you mix for the full amount of time.

What’s your go-to way to enjoy the bread mixes?

I love making pizza, but my favourite way to enjoy the loaf is the Brown One with seeds, topped with poached eggs and kimchi.

What's next for Lucy's?

We’d love to have more of a presence around the South Island and grow our list of stockists, so people can get it more easily. Hopefully it becomes even more accessible to everyone.

Where can people get their hands on your Bread Mixes?

You can order online and we’ll ship it straight to your door. Or, if you’re already getting our fresh bread, you can add it to your order. It’s also available through our stockists like Commonsense Organics in Wellington, Moore Wilson’s, Farro Fresh, and several others — all listed on our website.