 Bernie Sugrue (the name is pronounced Sugrue) is an energetic sort of character. He plays six different musical instruments (and he doesn’t include his voice in that count) but his hobby, his passion, like that of most people in the trade, is baking.
He left school at 15 and apprenticed in baking at Bungalow Bakery in
Oamaru. With some partners he bought into McGregors Bakery in
Palmerston – famous for its mutton pies – in 1988.
Since then Bernie
has enjoyed a diverse business career, buying and selling bakeries,
working not only as a baker but also as a food advisor (for NZ Food
Industries) and as a business coach in Australia for Action
International – a period Bernie describes as “absolutely fantastic”.
Otago and baking drew Bernie back two years ago when he took the
opportunity to buy (for the second time, incidentally) the Doughbin
Bakery in Wanaka.
His idea then firstly was to move the bakery away from the lakefront
where it had been flooded three times. (Flood insurance, not
surprisingly, was no longer available.) Doing his sums he realised he
would need a bigger business to pay for the new operation.
Set then on wholesaling pies, he decided to buy an established brand
rather than establish a new one. Consequently, and after months of
negotiations, he bought the brandname, manufacturing rights and
recipes, including the iconic mutton pie, from McGregors in Palmerston,
a company established in 1913. Talk about well established.
He relocated production to Wanaka in September 2006. (McGregors retain their tearooms in Palmerston and still sell the famous mutton pies there.)
Bernie and his wife Rilla have a lifestyle block near Wanaka where
they’re developing an animal farm. Rilla has that project in hand, as
does their 10-year-old daughter Julia.
Bernie has been greatly involved in various aspects of marketing over
the years and is looking to bring his expertise in that area to the
BIANZ. A look at the new McGregors Bakery website shows an active marketing mind at work,
building a consistent image of genuine Kiwiness with slogans like
“baking at sparrow’s fart since Adam was a cowboy”.
He is very open about his own business and welcomes the opportunity to
share ideas and information with other bakers. “If anyone wants to talk
to me about marketing issues or strategies, I’m more than happy to talk
to them.”
He acknowledges the openness and help he has enjoyed in setting up his
new business from other BIANZ members such as Eddie Grooten at Dad’s
Pies in Auckland, Graham Heaven from Napier, and Ron van Til in
Rangiora. “If I can do that for anyone else in the future I certainly
will.”
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