True to their name, Slow Dough bakery took a while to get going but they are rapidly growing in reputation and impact in the Kiama community.

The Manning Street bakery was named the Outstanding New Business at the Kiama Business Awards last week, well deserved recognition for owners Lucy and Richard King after years of hard work both before and after opening their doors.

Slow Dough was created when Richard got into baking during the pandemic and in late 2021, he started selling the varieties he had come up with by mail order from the garage of their Gerringong home.

“I think it’s safe to say that we’re elated to win the award,” Lucy said.

“It is really important to receive recognition from your local community and it’s a real acknowledgement of the hard work we’ve put in.”

Richard added: “We were really surprised - we’ve been very focused on our own patch, head down, bum up. We feel like we’re doing all right but relative to what?

“So when we’re put up against extraordinary other businesses, to come out on top was pretty humbling.”

When he started baking, he would send a message to his mailing list to say what was going to be ready each Saturday and people would respond to say which option they wanted.

That grew to the point where they needed a bigger permanent location and it was tough to find a spot with space large enough for a bakery and a small area for customers to savour the treats.

The old minister’s cottage at the Uniting Church had been used by the Men’s Shed but they had moved to a more suitable location for them, so Slow Dough pounced on the opportunity, opening their doors in early 2024.

It took them more than a year to wade through the development applications paperwork and complete renovations to make it fit for purpose but it has proved to be the ideal location for them.

“We both come from a corporate background,” Lucy explained.

“Rich had always been interested in baking but had never got the opportunity to do it. So when we were in what seemed like a never-ending lockdown at the time, it allowed him the chance to get into making it.”

Lucy King, Susan Spence, Jo Aspinall and Richard King at the Kiama Business Awards. Photo: The Bugle

He said his initial offerings would have been “better for building than eating” but after lots of practice, he refined his craft.

“Neither of us have done this before and are still learning every day in terms of baking and building a business,” Lucy added.

“We just want to acknowledge the Kiama community and our customers who have really supported us. Everything we do is new. It’s just been so wonderful the way the locals have rallied us on because it’s been tough at times.

“They’ve been open to what we do because we do things a bit differently. They’ve been willing to come along this journey with us. We’re very grateful.”

They were also a finalist in the Excellence in Sustainability category, an essential part of their set-up.

“My background is in corporate sustainability so it’s something that’s really important to make sure we’re integrating that into what we do as a business,” Lucy said.

They partnered with Kerryn McInnes from The Passion Project at The Pines in Kiama and they collect Slow Dough’s compostable waste for her permaculture garden.

“It’s a nice example of closing the loop within our local community and ecosystem of businesses,” Lucy said.

“We do generate a fair bit of waste but we make sure we do as much as we can to reduce that.”

Slow Dough’s cardboard packaging, including the coffee cups, is compostable and included in this program to help reduce landfill.