Big River Bakery: the future of sustainable food systems
5min TV News Package
(Separate) Online News Story
09/12/2019
A local businessman hopes to kick-start a fairer food system that big food companies can replicate on a national scale.
Andy Haddon, founder of the Big River Bakery based in Shieldfield, has a vision to develop a more sustainable way of life in the North East.
“I want the North East to demonstrate that local food can be more equitable, affordable to everyone, and environmentally low in impact,” says the self-proclaimed social innovator.
BQ magazine awarded Andy with its national emerging entrepreneur award for the UK in 2017, and since then he has opened his own bakery in Shieldfield.
But, it is not your average patisserie on a street corner, Andy works with local communities to attain a fairer food system.
He offers opportunities and training to people facing employability barriers.
One of the newer volunteers, Alison Gordon, hopes to become a full-time employee in the near future.
“We’re not at the stage where I can become full-time, but in the meantime I’ve been really enjoying the process of setting up the bakery,” she says.
“I’m learning a lot from being in here [the bakery] and Andy is doing a great job with the volunteers.”
Andy’s priority is involving the people of Newcastle by hosting pizza-making workshops alongside coffee and doughnut mornings.
But as well as targeting the social side of things, Andy is always conscious of the environment.
While he is planting the sustainable wheat used in his produce on farmland across the North East, he has recently collaborated with West Jesmond Primary School to speed up the process.
The school’s Lead of Raising Aspirations, Lucy Oades, shared what the future holds for this partnership.
“Hopefully we will be able to grow the wheat over the next few months and then use it in our bread making workshops with the pupils,” she says.
“The workshops teach them about the importance of sustainability in farming, and they enjoy the baking more when they have been involved in the planting process.”
Aside from these environmental concerns, Andy often teams up with local outreach programmes such as the North East Young Lads and Dads project (YLAD) that impact the lives of young people.
The Big River Bakery hosted a honey-processing event with YLAD to package their honey in preparation for sale.
“Andy has helped our young lads to learn baking and catering skills,” says Kevin Stoodley, a co-founder of YLAD.
“These boys may not have been to school meaning they struggle to find employment but Andy has been teaching them valuable skills that are relevant to the workplace.”
One of the young fathers, Jordan Richardson, shares what he will take away from the workshops with the Big River Bakery.
“Well building the hives has improved my carpentry skills a lot, so if I want a normal job, I will be more prepared for that.”
“Hopefully this can turn into full-time employment for me too.”
Partnerships like these are vital to the aims of the Big River Bakery in creating a fairer food system and community.
Although local businesses like Andy’s are thriving around Newcastle, they still face competition from multinational food companies.
Instead of competing with each other though, Andy hopes to replicate his sustainable way with food on a global scale.
With any luck, they will rise to the challenge.
