The Whipped Baker has become one of the most popular bakery's in Tauranga. The couple behind it's success share their story. Made with funding from NZ On Air.
A recipe for success takes time.
That's the experience of Aaron and Frances Cooper, the owners of The Whipped Baker, a popular business in Tauranga's Historic Village.
On an average week, the couple work 90 hours - up every morning at 3am to prepare fresh bread for the day.
"Prepping all our custards slabs for our Saturday market. Tomorrow I start at 9am, I keep going until it's all produced, packaged, sold and come back to the cafe. Then if she let's me come home, I come home," says Aaron.
The couple converted their shed into a custom bakery in 2006, and have made a reputation amongst locals for their quality homemade fare.
"We can tell them where the smoked fish and the bacon come from, the providers of that. It's good for everybody, and we are supporting local which is really nice," says Fran.
After nearly a decade of home catering and food trucking in the wider-Tauranga region, the Coopers set up a cafe in the Historic Village.
They say it has been a welcome shock to see the business become so popular amongst Tauranga residents.
But in two decades together, the couple have faced hard times.
"Frances? We just about lost Frances."
Mrs Cooper contracted meningitis after the birth of her fifth child. Her husband says he thought he was going to lose his childhood sweetheart.
"She got worse and worse. The baby was six months old. I tried to look after the five kids, and keep the bakery going while she was unwell. I think I stopped for one week and didn't turn up at the market."
The couple grew up on the same street in Papamoa. Aaron says Fran was his sister's best friend, and that he liked her from the moment he first set eyes on her.
"It evolved from there really. There were stages that I wasn't allowed to see her," says Aaron.
"Yeah, my Dad put the clamps down," says Fran.
"But she used to walk her dog an awful lot."
Fran Cooper says setting up the cafe was a case of proving people wrong, after many local chefs and business owners said it would never work.
