Not just a trend

The Gingerbreadman Bakery takes allergies seriously

by Belinda Jeursen

Carl Black knows a lot about allergies and the repercussions of eating the wrong food – his wife, and both children, have multiple food allergies between them – wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, apple and more. But when he bought a small bakery in Christchurch nine years ago he hadn’t even met his wife yet and he knew very little about gluten intolerance and food allergies.

He extended his range to a few hundred loaves a week and now his bakery produces 99.9% gluten free product, making the South Island’s largest selection of gluten free and other allergy friendly products.

“Customers brought their own recipes to me and there was a lot of trial and error. They were my main source of information and really educated me. I would have been lost without them. At that stage I was the only one doing gluten free baking.” Carl says he develops new products by looking at “normal” baked products and then seeing if he can produce something similar using different ingredients. “I’m always thinking outside the square, adapting recipes to suit people’s needs.”

Canterbury has the highest rate of coeliac disease in the country, but luckily also the most bakeries dedicated to producing gluten free products. Carl’s bakery goes a few steps further however. “Lots of places do just gluten free, but there are so many people who have multiple allergies. We do gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, yeast and soy free products and also make diabetic cakes for people occasionally.

“We try to help anyone really. It doesn’t always work and it’s not always cost effective but I have happy customers and most of my business is from word of mouth.”

“Allergies are not just trendy – there are people out there who get very sick if they eat the wrong thing and end up off work for three or four days. There are serious ramifications for people with food intolerance too.”

Hospital dieticians send their patients to The Gingerbreadman Bakery and Carl says that sometimes they just about cry when they come into the bakery and realise that their dietary restrictions are being catered for. “Sometimes they’ve tried to make things themselves and it’s been expensive and a failure. It’s far more convenient for them to buy baked products. We also get a lot of customers who don’t have any allergies but like and buy our product.”

Carl sees this focus on freshness as the key to good gluten free product. “A lot of gluten or dairy free product is not that fresh because it’s been frozen or gas vacuum packed. We also blend our own flours, including rice, tapioca, potato starch, corn, soya and maize.”

When I asked Carl about the challenges of making gluten free and other specialised product he says that first there has to be a thorough understanding of the restrictions of baking in this way. “Things don’t rise and stretch in the same way. Things crumble, flavours are different. You have to understand the basic science behind it. It’s a process of chemical balancing. You have to work harder to get the textures and flavours right.

“So I focus on the technicalities – what will react if I try this? Which flours are stronger and how will this taste once it’s finished?” But Carl says the biggest challenge is the finishings. “In some cases you can’t use chocolate or icing sugar or butter. But you still have to make the product look good.”

Carl is a one-man-band hard at work, doing it all. He loves baking but also enjoys going out to sell his products and meeting customers. He’s revamped his website, which has information about coeliac disease and gluten intolerance as well as weekly specials.

He obviously has a loyal customer base, one of whom has donated a large collection of books about the gingerbreadman. These are on display in the shop and are used to entertain children while their parents chat to Carl about their needs. He often finds himself in the role of educating customers about food intolerance.

Carl Black knows a lot about allergies and the repercussions of eating the wrong food – his wife, and both children, have multiple food allergies between them – wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, apple and more. But when he bought a small bakery in Christchurch nine years ago he hadn’t even met his wife yet and he knew very little about gluten intolerance and food allergies. “The bakery was making two loaves of gluten free bread a week for specific customers and I thought this was a waste of time and stopped doing it,” says Carl. “The feedback I got changed my mind very quickly.” 

He extended his range to a few hundred loaves a week and now his bakery produces 99.9% gluten free product, making the South Island’s largest selection of gluten free and other allergy friendly products. He supplies hospitals, boarding schools, cafés and restaurants and offers a courier service to anywhere in New ZealandCarl tells me that back then there was not much available in the way of gluten or wheat free baking, but he started making more and more products as the demand grew. 

“Customers brought their own recipes to me and there was a lot of trial and error. They were my main source of information and really educated me. I would have been lost without them. At that stage I was the only one doing gluten free baking.” Carl says he develops new products by looking at “normal” baked products and then seeing if he can produce something similar using different ingredients. “I’m always thinking outside the square, adapting recipes to suit people’s needs.”Canterbury has the highest rate of coeliac disease in the country, but luckily also the most bakeries dedicated to producing gluten free products. Carl’s bakery goes a few steps further however. “Lots of places do just gluten free, but there are so many people who have multiple allergies. We do gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, yeast and soy free products and also make diabetic cakes for people occasionally. 

“We try to help anyone really. It doesn’t always work and it’s not always cost effective but I have happy customers and most of my business is from word of mouth.”Any non-gluten free products are bought in and the only non-gluten free products Carl makes are muffins which are made from a premix in a separate area with separate equipment. New staff are trained to understand the importance of what they are making and the importance of doing it properly.

“I’ve heard of bakeries making gluten or wheat free bread and then slicing it on the normal bread slicer,” Carl says. “Allergies are not just trendy – there are people out there who get very sick if they eat the wrong thing and end up off work for three or four days. There are serious ramifications for people with food intolerance too.”Hospital dieticians send their patients to The Gingerbreadman Bakery and Carl says that sometimes they just about cry when they come into the bakery and realise that their dietary restrictions are being catered for.

“Sometimes they’ve tried to make things themselves and it’s been expensive and a failure. It’s far more convenient for them to buy baked products. We also get a lot of customers who don’t have any allergies but like and buy our product.”Sixty five percent of Carl’s business is wholesale in the South Island. He has some private customers in the North Island but says freight costs have stopped him from taking wholesale further. “That and the freshness factor. We bake specific products on different days but everything is made fresh every week.” 

Carl sees this focus on freshness as the key to good gluten free product. “A lot of gluten or dairy free product is not that fresh because it’s been frozen or gas vacuum packed. We also blend our own flours, including rice, tapioca, potato starch, corn, soya and maize.”When I asked Carl about the challenges of making gluten free and other specialised product he says that first there has to be a thorough understanding of the restrictions of baking in this way. “Things don’t rise and stretch in the same way. Things crumble, flavours are different. You have to understand the basic science behind it. It’s a process of chemical balancing. You have to work harder to get the textures and flavours right. “So I focus on the technicalities – what will react if I try this? Which flours are stronger and how will this taste once it’s finished?” But Carl says the biggest challenge is the finishings. “In some cases you can’t use chocolate or icing sugar or butter. But you still have to make the product look good.”

Another ongoing challenge is hidden gluten. “Lots of people eat gluten that they don’t know about. It’s in so many products, including beef bouillons, soy sauce and vinegars. I have to watch what I use very carefully. Sometime suppliers change their ingredients without telling me. I also like to keep my finger on the pulse and watch out for new products.”

Carl is a one-man-band hard at work, doing it all. He loves baking but also enjoys going out to sell his products and meeting customers. He’s revamped his website, which has information about coeliac disease and gluten intolerance as well as weekly specials. He obviously has a loyal customer base, one of whom has donated a large collection of books about the gingerbreadman. These are on display in the shop and are used to entertain children while their parents chat to Carl about their needs. He often finds himself in the role of educating customers about food intolerance.   

Visit The Gingerbread man at 471 Blenheim Road, Christchurch

 www.thegingerbreadman.co.nz