Anu Haran has barely slept this past week, working through the night preparing hot cross buns for Easter events.
“I’ve been on my feet for literally 16 hours straight,” Ms Haran says at her Flour Shop bakery in Turramurra on Sydney’s north shore.
“We had 1,500 hot cross buns pre-ordered for yesterday and another 1,500 tomorrow for Easter Sunday.
“We have them coming out of the ovens every hour. There’s something really special about eating a hot cross bun – because no one wants a cold cross bun!”
Easter weekend is probably the second busiest of the year after Christmas, she says.
It’s hard physical work for the 36-year-old, who traded a career in marketing to start her own bakery two years ago after migrating from India in 2017.
And her love of Indian spices may well be the secret to success in this self-funded startup.
“All the fruit is soaked in chai spices, so the fruit itself has flavour,” she says. “And our glaze is also spiced with reduced orange juice, so it’s pretty special.”
Customers are stocking up for Easter. Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“I started off washing dishes and scrubbing people's floors, that is the reality. And, to be honest, if you want to be a baker you need to love to clean because that is about 50 per cent of the job.
“Also, it is one thing to bake a loaf of bread at home. However, it is something quite different pull 500 loaves of bread from a commercial oven: checking on the consistency, learning how the starter behaves - it is very different.”
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) expects Australians to spend more than $1.5 billion on Easter food and chocolate this year.
A recent ARA-Roy Morgan survey of more than 2,000 Australians aged over 18 found that 78 per cent expect to spend the same or more than last year, ARA CEO Paul Zahra says.
“This is the first holiday period in two years that Australians can celebrate Easter free of pandemic restrictions, and many will take full advantage of the time off to catch up with families and friends."
Chocolate eggs at Du Plessy Pralin. Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“It is quite demanding, we are working a lot of hours seven days a week,” he says.
“In fact, we've been working seven days a week since mid-February.”
Mr Adam is continuing a tradition started by his parents who opened their first Sydney chocolate shop in 1961, after migrating from France and working on the Snowy Hydro Scheme.
He says the secret to success is this: “Good quality chocolate. Keep it simple and people love it.”
Chocolate rabbits with masks remain popular. Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“We have sold a lot of [masked] COVID bunnies this year. I thought the theme might be worn out, but they are still very much in demand.”
Mr Adam says the business takes almost half of its annual revenue around Easter, as people buy chocolates for friends and family.
He says while chocolate sales are soaring this week, his business remained busy right through the pandemic.
Some of Paul Adam's handmade chocolates. Credit: SBS / Small Business Secrets
“There were a lot of ‘thank yous’ going around.”
With millions of Australians flying interstate for family gatherings this Easter he says customers are stocking up before travelling.
Paul Adam at Du Plessy Pralin. Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
He says NSW residents are tipped to be the biggest spenders on food this Easter, at a total of $500 million, for an average spend of $104.
“Australians consume about five kilograms of chocolate per person each year, and much of that is eaten over the Easter break, ” he says.
It’s all good news for retailers including Ms Haran, whose gamble on opening her own business has paid off.
“I am extremely, extremely proud,” she says. “It has been 100 per cent worth it.”
