Once a business owner, always a business owner. Olivia and Rob Morrison moved to Tasmania to escape the chaos and start a family. They wanted to create something extraordinary — it was butter. Fast forward a few years, and Bread and Butter are one of the most recognisable bakeries in Tasmania. With two locations, a newly opened Bakeshop and Neighbourhood Cafe. Olivia and Rob aren’t slowing down. We recently popped down to say hello, and learn about how they have grown their business to more than 50 team members.
SQ: How did it feel to start your own business? Was there anything that made you nervous or equally excited?
O: I really don’t remember the first time. I have always been in business, it is part of my DNA.
SQ: You originally started making and selling butter and then moved into bread, can you tell us about this decision and how it happened?
O: We moved to Tasmania to start a family. It was a chance to step out of the chaos. After my daughter Minnie was born, I looked for something I could do to satisfy my urge to be in business and create something great — it was butter. I could work during the week at any time I liked and sell what I had made at the market and in restaurants. My butter became popular. People started to seek it out.
I added another person to production to keep up. Her background was in baking. After many hours in the butter dungeon, we decided to get out of there and open a bakery coexisting with a new butter factory. At the time, no one produced cultured butter and used it directly for their croissants. It was and still is a very special thing.
SQ: What role do you play in the business and how has this evolved since you started?
O: I began by having my hands on everything we make, and I still do. Rob, my partner, and Alex, our Bread + Butter General Manager do a fantastic job leading a team of over 50 passionate people to handcraft everything so I can focus on developing our product.
SQ: What has been your biggest “pinch me” moment so far?
O: The moment we sold a million croissants.
SQ: What’s a pain point that Square has solved for your business?
O: Seamless online ordering. Previously we have had to rely on multiple platforms to generate online sales. Square has been the only POS solution I have used.
SQ: What feature of Square do you use the most (aside from taking payments)?
O: Reporting. We are constantly looking at sales data to tweak rostering and production levels.
SQ: You currently have three locations with Bread & Butter plus Neighbourhood, tell us more about the decision to expand your business.
O: The growth of our business has been driven by demand and managing the logistics of being not only a hospitality venue but a manufacturer. The Bakeshop has a small footprint. We offer donuts, pastries, and coffee to locals down in our old neck of the woods (three doors down from our original location).
Neighbourhood is exactly its namesake — a neighborhood spot to catch up with friends. Rob and I lived just around the corner when we moved to Launceston and saw the importance of the place in the local community. We were approached to take over the restaurant and couldn’t say no. We selfishly installed a woodfired pizza oven so we could eat great pizza 7 days a week. You can grab all the usual Bread + Butter breakfast fare, pastries, and more from this spot.
SQ: What challenges did you face while growing the business?
O: Finding space to physically fit our business and its people has been challenging. We have overcome this by separating our production into different venues, each with its own purpose and offering.
SQ: What piece of advice would you give to new or aspiring business owners?
O: Don’t get sidetracked. Stick to your guns.
