Good Bread Takes Time

A photo of Ruth Heath.

Ruth Heath

Taking the humble sandwich to a whole new level, Ruth and partner Jeremy have taken things
(quite literally) into their own hands when it comes to supplying real loaves with real nutritional
value.

The People’s Bread encourages people to appreciate bread for how it used to be –
wholesome, fresh and free from any additives, and with the rate at which these hefty loaves sell at – it’s easy to see they’re onto a good thing.

What’s your background?

I’ve made bread the way we do now for over a decade, and have always had an interest in producing and eating good food. My formal learning and work background is in education and I guess that comes through in The People’s Bread too – we’re educating people that real bread is slow food made with fresh, stoneground wholegrain flour, therefore nutrient dense, delicious and really damn good for you.

Why have you set up here?

My partner Jeremy and I found this transportable kitchen for sale online, and even though it was in Auckland, Jeremy met the seller in Wellington and drove it all the way back down. Now we’ve set up what is possibly the world's smallest commercial bakery in Hawea to run alongside our family life. People who live around here and Wanaka are People’s Bread fans, and to live somewhere now where we didn’t have this space and freedom to do things our own way, would be counter-productive. We aim to fit our work around life, not the other way around.

How would you summarise The People’s Bread?

‘Real unadulterated bread for real humans’ – bread for us isn’t a make money quick scheme, it’s about putting real time and effort into something we think is of utmost value to the diet and wellbeing of our customers. Our grain comes from certified organic farmers in Canterbury and we fresh mill it here. Fresh flour has fats and oils and starts to go rancid rather quick, which is why so many big manufacturers treat their flour to make it last longer  – but The People’s Bread is all about keeping that goodness in, grain, water, salt – that’s it.

Where can we get a taste?

Come find us at the Wanaka Artisan Market every Thursday afternoon from 3:00 – 6:00pm, in stores at Soul Food and Mediterannean Market Wanaka, Taste Nature Dunedin, Raeward Fresh Queenstown and Moore Wilson Wellington, the nationwide bread box home delivery service, or give us a wave if you see us on Mondays out delivering on our electric bike around the neighbourhood!

Ruth's Neat Places