The Good Life Bay + Gelato = Baylato Byron Food Hub holds
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recipe for success
Story by Vivienne Pearson
Amelia Bloomfield
‘I understood everything the couple said and not one word of the guy.’ Her love of surfing and wildlife gave her hope and, when a friend took her to Byron Bay for the weekend, she knew she’d made the right choice.
BY RO N S H I R E H O L D S M A N Y STO R I E S OF REINVENTION. PAO L A Z L ATA R’ S STO RY I S O N E , TA K I N G H E R F RO M BEING A CHILD O F A C RO CO D I L E H U N T E R , TO B E I N G A V E T I N C H I L E , TO SELLING ICE-CREAM
to her father’s unusual work. She considered Chile home and stayed there through her early adult life, qualifying and working as a vet. Her big change came when, as she describes: ‘One day I woke up and decided I’d finished with Chile.’ She was on her way to Australia within a week. On the plane trip, she started to question her decision. ‘I was sitting with a US couple on one side, and an Aussie guy on the other,’ she recalls.
I N N O RT H E R N N S W. Paola was born in Australia – her Chilean parents were here for a few years thanks
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7/47 Jonson St, Byron Bay
48 November 16, 2016 The Byron Shire Echo
‘I did a bit of everything in order to stay here,’ she says of her time waitressing, as well as teaching and doing photography with a surf school. Unable to work as a vet without returning to university, she uses her skills volunteering for WIRES. Working for herself and running a business didn’t come as naturally as her decision to move here. ‘I come from a culture where you work for 25 years in the same business,’ she says. Entrepreneurs are very unusual in my family.’ Yet, with an ex-partner, she found herself selling icecream at markets and, after the relationship ended, she continued on with some aspects of the business. She loves it. ‘I get on well with kids and I get to deal with happy people,’ she says. The cute, candystriped Baylato van can be seen at markets and festivals in this area and she also sets up at the Brisbane Eat Street Market. Weddings are a growing part of her work. ‘Gelato is the new wedding cake,’ she says.
Naked Byron Food’s co-owners Aaron Bellamy and Anthony Goddard with Sharon McGrath from Byron Food Hub, at the opening event of Stage 1.
GETTING A NICHE FOOD P RO D U C T R A N G E D I N N AT I O N A L S U P E R M A R K E T S I S N O S M A L L F E AT, E S P E C I A L LY W H E N I T ’S M A D E F RO M TOTA L LY F R E S H , LO C A L LY SO U RC E D INGREDIENTS. But they say necessity is the mother of invention, so when Naked Byron Foods’ co-owner Anthony Goddard realised their home-style dip and salsa business was suffering growing pains, they were first in line for a customised production space within the Byron Food Hub. Located in the vibrant Mullumbimby Industrial Estate, the Food Hub is the brainchild of locals Richard Kowalski and Sharon McGrath. Their decision to position it as a food-only facility offering tenants design flexibility has clearly paid off. With the Food Hub happily humming away at full capacity, construction will soon commence on Stages 2 and 3. Custom fit-outs and sustainable building features like passive ventilation, solar hot water and high-rated insulation will continue to be a focus as they expand. After all, it’s a formula that has seen resident food producers flourish in the Food Hub’s first year. Since moving into their new commercialgrade kitchen, Naked Byron has consistently attained the HACCP Food Certification required for ranging in independent supermarkets.
‘We’ve more than doubled our turnover in the last 12 months,’ Anthony says. ‘I have more confidence in our production process and how clean we can keep everything. We now have a huge fridge where we do all the packing so we can guarantee the quality. ‘Richard and Sharon are real can-do people. You actually see them around, and can talk to them in person when you have a problem.’ Fellow Food Hub tenant Simon Powick of organic artisan bakery Almond Road also enjoys this personal approach. ‘Along with the ability to specify our layout, a big plus is being able to have direct access to an owner who understands the construction side of things. You don’t have to go through an agent; you can just sit down over a coffee with Richard and talk through ideas,’ says Simon, who was able to negotiate upgrades such as an air-conditioned dry store to combat the heat sensitivity of his baking flour. Stage 2 is due for completion mid-2017, with all but one of the spaces snapped up, and Stage 3 sites of between 125m2 and 1875m2 are now on offer. ‘A number of businesses are even relocating from Sydney and interstate,’ Richard says. ‘Byron Shire’s renowned clean, green environment naturally lends itself to producing great food, and our proximity to large urban centres and distribution networks allows them to remain competitive.’ For further information contact Richard Kowalski on 0431 339 004.
The name Baylato was selected from over 50 entries in a Facebook competition. ‘I wanted it to be something about Byron Bay and something about gelati,’ she says. Baylato was the pefect combination. Facebook: Baylato or phone 0415 679 452.
Stage 2 of the Byron Food Hub, coming soon
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