Rocket Kitchen readies for national blast-off

Malcolm MacDonald feels the business is ready to take a big growth step. Picture / Dean Purcell

At Rocket Kitchen, the day starts with the breaking of about 1400 eggs.

The wholesale bakery also consumes 250kg of chocolate and 600kg of flour weekly for the cakes, biscuits and desserts it supplies its own food store in Ponsonby and 300 other cafes, hotels and restaurants around Auckland.

Now the owners feel ready to throw something new into the mix by launching new Rocket stores throughout the city and, perhaps, replicating its cake-baking operation in the South Island.

"It's tables and chairs that make money for cafes now, not kitchens," said Rocket's general manager Louis Segedin.

And with skilled baking staff getting harder to find, the trend for cafes and restaurants to buy in their baking has helped Rocket's business take off as it can deliver quality products seven days of the week.

Rocket was launched in 1996 when founders Michelle Wilson and Kay Thompson opened their corner store on Market Rd, Epsom, to concentrate on making cakes.

With European-style patisseries then dominating the Auckland bakery market, Rocket's home-baked flavour saw it quickly establish itself as a major player in the boutique cake business.

After outgrowing the first store, Rocket moved to Ponsonby Rd, the base for its niche catering service. The bakery also sells a variety of savoury items and take-home meals.

By 2002, however, the pair had gone as far as they wanted to go and were not prepared to take on the risk associated with an expansion.

Present owners - Malcolm MacDonald, Derek Jones and Steve Agnew - directors of Auckland-based accountancy services company Banklink - were looking for an investment outside the accounting industry and were tempted by Rocket's strong brand, high-quality product and potential for growth.

Number four shareholder Segedin also bought in, having just sold his Salsa restaurant on Richmond Rd.

One of the first things they did was move to a bigger commercial kitchen in Penrose.

Though the operations are bigger, the founders' principles are still adhered too with all products hand-made using only natural ingredients.

Rocket's chocolate whisky cake is its biggest seller. La Dolce Vita, orange flavoured with citrus, marscapone and cream cheese frosting, and carrot and pineapple cakes also never come off the menu.

The 25 kitchen staff work two shifts with the kitchen working all through the week.

Turnover has increased 30 per cent since the four bought in - with all that coming from wholesale sales to cafes - however, MacDonald feels they have not yet created opportunities for themselves and the business is now ready to take a big growth step.

He said more retail outlets, in Auckland initially, was the logical path for expansion.

The company is going through a site selection process, looking at Newmarket, Botany Downs and Takapuna or Milford.

And with the existing Rocket store taking 25 per cent of production, expansion would quickly see things hot up in the kitchen.

With chilled delivery, Rocket can supply most of the North Island from the Penrose kitchen.

So when the time comes to expand into the South Island, a second kitchen will be necessary.

But growing the Auckland market is the prime focus where, Segedin says, Rocket's biggest competitor is the corner cafe which does all its own baking.