From a Bunnings barbecue to a fully-fledged baking empire, Meredith from Dough Re Mi shares her 'grassroots' story below.

Q. How did your grassroots story start?

A.  It all started in a Bunnings carpark... seriously! We were fundraising for a local playgroup and we had been up since 6am in the cold setting up the BBQ and grilling onions and we only had a few hundred. We thought there must have been a better way. Jessie and I (my business partner at the time – who has now stepped away due to family commitments) loved baking and we thought, ‘you know let’s not fundraise with baking, let’s start a business.’ And the rest is history.

Q. How would you define your business/service as local?

A. I grew up on a farm between Cootamundra and Temora. I went to school in Cootamundra, university in Wagga Wagga. I moved to Sydney for work and then in 2015 came home to the Riverina to raise a family. The whole Dough Re Mi team (now more than 10 of us) are all from the Riverina area. We try to use as much local produce as we can, including: Holbrook Paddock Eggs, Harefield Pistachios, dried apples from Batlow Apples, bacon from Wagga Free Range Pork. We also use the services of Bee Dee Bags, Embarketing for our social media management and all equipment is from Wagga Catering Equipment. We also supply to many local businesses – Knights Deli (our first ever stockist), The Fast Lane Drive Thru Coffee, The Boutique Box, Jardine’s Cafe, Fisher and Farmer in Ganmain, Lumela in Coolamon – just to name a few.

Q. How have you pivoted during this time of Covid-19? And, have you experienced an increase in ‘shopping local?’

A.  I have chosen the ‘let’s keep pushing through method’ and tried to keep things as ‘normal’ as possible. It’s about keeping consistency in our message, so we haven’t slowed down our social media chatter and we want our followers to know that we are still around and still baking. It’s been really great – people are pulling over and coming to support us at our Wagga Wagga shop front just because we are open, and, with a hot pink sign, it’s hard not to miss us.

Q. Why is it important for consumers to root for local? 

A. Shopping local helps keeps money in the local area. Which then helps other business grow in the local area.

Q. What’s next for your business/service?

A.  We have lots of things in the works – some exciting new additions to what Dough Re Mi offers and has available, and, also getting into some creative classes and workshops, just to name a few.

Head to Dough Re Mi's website for more on this great business.

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