“I’m so sorry, ladies. I have some bad news,” Slow Dough co-owner Lucy King tells the group who have just arrived at the seaside bakery for coffee.

“We’ve sold out of treats.”

It’s 11.30am on a Friday and there’s not a spare seat in the house.

Only a handful of choc-chip biscuits and focaccia slices topped with seasonal ingredients are left after a busy morning of trade.

When Lucy and her husband Richard opened the doors of their artisan bakery two years ago, this is exactly what they hoped to achieve - a community coming together to enjoy baked goods, coffee and each other’s company and empty shelves at the end of the day.

“Running a business is really hard work,” says Lucy. “Our team works long hours, everyone’s on their feet all day, it’s very hot in the bakery.

“But one of the things that brings us all a lot of joy is when we get a spare minute to look out the window and catch moments where people are biting into their sweet treat.

“Seeing the happiness on their face makes all the hard work worth it.”

The couple, who moved from South Africa to Melbourne where they worked in high-powered corporate jobs, settled in Gerringong when Victoria’s borders were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While working from home, Richard, who has always loved baking, dabbled in making sourdough like many during the pandemic.

Soon they were baking loaves of sourdough out of their garage and delivering to family and friends throughout the lockdown.

Demand was high and they eventually opened a shopfront in Kiama in early 2024.

Lucy and Richard King at Slow Dough.

“When we decided to leave our corporate careers and do this, it was not only because Richard enjoyed baking and making a really good product, but we saw the impact of coming together around good sourdough in our garage,” explains Lucy.

“Introducing neighbours to each other and the sense of community that was created in our garage was the reason we did this, ultimately everything we do comes back to that, bringing people together around good food.”

Such good food that Slow Dough was recently rated among the state’s top regional bakeries on popular websites Broadsheet and Delicious.

With word quickly spreading among food lovers, and Kiama already a popular destination for travellers and day trippers, the Kings found themselves busier than ever.

But an increase in customers brings with it new obstacles to overcome.

Namely how much product to make to remain financially and environmentally sustainable while also ensuring local customers don’t miss out on their beloved bread.

Richard says knowing exactly how much to bake for each trading day “is the bane of my existence”.

“Getting the balance right is challenging,” says Richard. “There are so many factors to consider.

“It’s one of the hardest things to get right but I feel like we're getting it right more often now. But there are still days where we don't produce enough or have too much left over.”

The Kings use the highest quality ingredients to produce their baked goods and with prices increasing across the board any leftover product is a financial hit.

“We use very expensive ingredients so we don't want to be throwing money down the drain,” says Richard.

“We go through up to 500 free range eggs and 40kg of butter each weekend,” adds Lucy.

“So when we sit down to plan our menu each week we look at not only what’s in season but also our production capacity to make sure we’re not putting undue pressure on our team of three bakers.”

“And we look at the weather,” says Richard. “Weather plays a huge role in getting the balance right of meeting customer demand.”

The pair are also mindful of their environmental footprint and each week send around 500 litres of kitchen waste and compostable customer packaging to feed a local permaculture garden in a partnership with The Passion Project.

Lucy and Richard, perfectionists at heart, are constantly striving to improve their products and sustainability, while ensuring local customers don’t miss out on bread or treats during peak times.

“One of the things we're really focusing on this year is creating more experiences for our local customers because we love that we have a consistent group of supporters who get joy out of picking up their bread and having a coffee and connecting with one another on the grass,” says Lucy.

The pair briefly considered throwing a birthday party at the seaside store to celebrate two years in business, but finding time in their busy schedules proved difficult.

Then an opportunity arose to have local DJ Clay Comber host a Bread and Beats party on Valentines Day.

It was a way for the Kings to show their love for the local community who had wholeheartedly embraced them, their business and their ethos - a quality product, created sustainably, which brings people joy.

“We want to create experiences that give back to the community, and Bread and Beats was fantastic, we had so many people turn out,” says Lucy.

They will hold another community event on 20 March, from 9-11am, in partnership with local artist Amy Kinzett.

The event is free and Amy will teach kids and adults how to create a masterpiece using just paper and glue.

For more information visit @amykinzett_art on Instagram and Facebook.

Local customers can also pre-order their bread and treats to make sure they don’t miss out by visiting www.slowdough.com.au.