Full name: Birgit Gunz
Role: Owner of Frankonia Bakery
DOB: 6 March 1967
Birthplace: “Ochsenfurt, which is in Frankonia – the northern part of Bavaria which is the South of Germany”
Twitter Handle: @Frankoniabakery
Website: http://www.frankonia.co.uk/
J: Hello Birgit – an honour to speak with you. Thanks for taking the time!
I read that you grew up in Bavaria and learned to bake from your mother and grandmother. What was the baking/baked foods of your childhood like, and what kind of stuff did you learn to make from your family?
B: We mainly baked cakes and gateauxs and at Christmas we baked Stollen and lots of different biscuits. All absolutely delicious.
What’s the food and drink of Bavaria like anyway? Do you get to enjoy it much these days? Whereabouts in the UK do you live now?
Well Bavaria is the world capital of beer so there is lots of that about although I am not a fan. Our food is quite magical I think. Lots of lovely roasts, amazing sausages and lots of Rye Bread and Pretzels. The northern part of Bavaria called Frankonia, where I am from is also quite famous for its white Asparagus. The season is relatively short and when it becomes available everybody has it for breakfast lunch and dinner! I travel home several times a year and always make sure that one of my visits is during Asparagus season so I can indulge.
I live in Southwest London now which is nothing like rural Frankonia.
You started the bakery after an 11 year stint in the City, right? Did you quit your job and go full time in baking or was the transition gradual? What do you learn from interdealer brokerage anyway? (I have no idea what that is by the way) Does any of it carry over?
There was a bit of a transition. It took a while to find the right premises and set up the business. I learned lots in the city such as that you have to strike while your iron is hot. Be very quick to respond to your customer and always give them feedback.
I read that you were “shocked when confronted with the bread or the lack of it” – could you elaborate on that? That was the reason you decided to start, right?
When I arrived in the mid-eighties there really was not much else available other that floppy white bread. When you have eaten Rye Sourdoughs all your life than that is a bit drastic. I wasn’t used to it and I couldn’t digest it either so I stopped eating bread altogether and it was my love of baking and the lack of breads that I liked that made me want to have my own bakery. I could also see an opportunity for a viable business as the demand for “my type of breads” started to emerge as part of the food renaissance in London which got under way in the nineties.
Who or what inspired/inspires you? Any legendary businesspeople, chefs or bakers we should know about?
I supply many excellent chefs so it wouldn’t be fair to single one out. They are incredibly passionate about what they do and such perfectionists that they will never compromise on quality and performance so I am most inspired by my clients and it is exciting to be part of their extended team.
Do you get to do much baking now? I’m going to assume that you have a passion for it, but lots of work that takes you away from the kitchen, considering how big Frankonia has grown. What are your most and least favourite things to bake?
You are right there is lots to do and my customers keep me busy developing new products for them so most of the day to day baking is done by my excellent team nowadays. I still get my hands stuck into dough though and I certainly bake lots at home. I have no least favourite thing to bake. I like all of it with my favourites being Brioche, Sourdoughs and also Black Forest Gateaux and Christmas Stollen.
What’s the most and least popular of your products? You also take requests, right? What’s the strangest/most memorable thing you have created for that?
The most popular are our Rye Breads and our Sourdoughs with Brioche not far behind. We made a giant bagel once and a giant Burger Bun. Both measured over 1 metre in diameter and we had to be quite resourceful to get them into the oven without damaging them.
Could you share a few tips that the bakers (amateur and pro) in our readership could use to improve their own baking? Maybe your top 3?
With baking, patience is the key. Don’t rush the process and your finished product will reward you.
Start off by making easy recipes and build your skill slowly.
Look at the science behind baking which will give you a great understanding of the process and it will make things a lot easier and eradicate mistakes.
How about cooking, do you do/enjoy that as well? Do you have a favourite cuisine or thing to make?
I love cooking in particular when I can use the oven for it. Now there is a surprise! I don’t have a favourite cuisine that I cook at home but I keep things simple and don’t like throwing too many flavours together. It ruins the taste. I like clean flavours.
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the life of Birgit?
Every day is different and it is never dull but usually I go to the gym first thing to have that out of the way. Once in the office I catch up with the goings on of the previous night shift and catch up with customers and look at special projects. During service I deal with internal tasks and ad hock issues that may need resolving. In the afternoon once our head baker is in I spend time with him and we address the night ahead and discuss special projects and new products.
I also get called out by my clients when they require new products or have special functions on for which they want to do something different and are seeking my input.
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
Selling my first loaf of bread is still my favourite moment and I can remember it as if it had only been yesterday. I drew a cross on the bottom of it which is something my mother always did before taking the first slice of a new loaf.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
They need to be prepared to put serious hours in to get their business off the ground. Be careful with your staff selection and make sure they share your values and ideals and know what is going on in every area of your business at all times.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Without a shadow of a doubt I would be a horticulturist and garden designer.
If you could have anyone try your bread – living or dead, fictional or real, who would you pick and what would you serve them?
I would make vast amounts of Marmalade sandwiches for Paddington!
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for Frankonia? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
I would have a total of 3 bakeries across the UK and get complete coverage that way. A baking academy would be attached to all three of them where young aspiring bakers can learn our craft properly. Not just in practice but also learn the science behind it all.
Where next for you and the bakery?
We will continue to expand and increase our market share in London and across the UK ( a lot of our products are available part baked nationwide). Bigger premises are also on the cards and we are looking to move within the next 2 years. We are also hoping to make our bread available to the public via mail order at some stage in the future. It won’t get boring. That’s for sure.
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
You have acquired a pet T-Rex and are morally obliged to look after it. It is 13 ft tall at the hips , eats half a ton of raw meat a day, and likes taking long walks. What would you call it and what would you do to keep it entertained and housed?
I would call my T rex “Petal”, let it chase after bakers and some chefs to keep it entertained and house it at the O2.
If Frankonia was forced to change from a purveyor of tasty baked things into a martial arts dojo, what style would you guys teach and what music would you play in your gym to get people fired up?
We would teach Tai Ji Juan, which is the art of supreme ultimate boxing and play 80s music to get everyone motivated. [Ed: strong]
If the army donated a functioning army tank to the bakery (and paid its fuel / ammo expenses) what would you do with it?
Well I think we would have to take out our competition – worldwide!