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Simply over a decade in the past husband and spouse Gary and Nat Essex started their very own bakery enterprise from their very own kitchen. Now, 12 years later, their enterprise is flourishing with prospects following them to market stalls across the county to bag a few of their signature brownie choices.
The couple, from Colchester, say they’ve gone from power to power of their home-grown brownie operation, which began as a aspect mission when Gary was a trainer. Now, they ship 13 totally different flavours of brownies out to market stalls throughout the county – and their most loyal prospects observe them there.
The Essex Bakery celebrated its twelfth anniversary final week, and commenced with husband and spouse Gary and Nat, now aged 39 and 40, cooking and packing the brownies from their very own kitchen. Now mother and father to 2 youngsters, they lately recruited pal Craig Dixey, 43, to their enterprise full time.
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The bakers produce a large variet of flavours – together with basic chocolate chip, peanut butter, chilli chocolate and a “blonde” raspberry and white chocolate brownie. Gary stated: “The white chocolate one at all times goes, we’re engaged on one other blonde. Nothing works fairly as nicely, it is the sweetness of the white chocolate and the sharpness of the raspberry.
“For a few years it was simply our family aspect mission. I used to be instructing at secondary faculty following on from being a chef. I did a level in enterprise administration whereas I used to be beginning my instructing. On the identical time we had been baking. We made brownies and I did cupcakes for my brother’s marriage ceremony.
(Picture: Gary Essex)
“We obtained a great response and folks asking me to make them some brownies. Then 2011 was our first market. We beloved speaking to folks and seeing the response we obtained for our brownies. After about 4 or 5 years we determined to go gluten free; it is an fascinating one as a result of some aren’t conscious of what gluten free is.
“We predict it is such a great product, particularly the flour that we use. Individuals assume that because it’s gluten free there can be one thing lacking from it, but it surely’s actually not.” Gluten is a protein present in wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye), which is commonly taken up for managing indicators of celiac illness – although many individuals with out the illness have additionally gone gluten-free of their weight loss plan, with some saying it improves their well being and will increase power.
(Picture: Gary Essex)
Gary and Nat initially started the enterprise from their very own kitchen, however with two youngsters making their household larger, they moved the cooking operation into the storage, earlier than later renting out a unit away from their house. Firstly of 2020, Gary had deliberate to depart his instructing job to focus solely on the enterprise, however then the pandemic hit.
He continued: “When Covid hit the varsity supplied me to maintain my job. [In the pandemic] when then actually pushed our web site. We had been so busy with wholesale even then, however throughout Covid the net stuff went loopy. Individuals thought ‘oh I can not see that individual, I do know, I’ll ship them some brownies. Individuals had been sending our brownies round so it was actually efficient.
“We’ve markets the place folks say ‘we had been solely coming down as a result of we knew you’d be right here’. They observe us across the different markets. We’re at all times in Colchester Excessive Road, we’re ready on a trailer so we will do extra weddings, we’re trying to have the ability to do the trailer with espresso and brownies.”
(Picture: Gary Essex)
The brownie enterprise is continually increasing, with the couple eager to some day open their very own premises. They take 13 totally different flavoured brownies to their market stalls, and even have their daughters assist them out often with deliveries – as throughout their busiest instances they will have 400 brownies to package deal.
Gary added: “Typically we’ve got folks round for dinner they usually ask ‘what shall we’ve got for dessert’ and we ask in the event that they’d be dissatisfied if it wasn’t brownies, they usually say ‘we would not be coming again.” To see extra concerning the enterprise, go to their web page right here.
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