Popular Pocket Storehouse keeps up with demand at new store

A Bundaberg bakery where customers travel from as far as Brisbane to queue outside on a Saturday morning is moving to a new location in a bid to keep up with rising demand.

Pocket Storehouse owner Rick Nelson and his team have been working "stupid long hours" in preparation for the grand opening of the Pocket Storehouse’s Kepnock store.

It is common knowledge among fans of Bundaberg’s Pocket Storehouse bakery that you were likely to come away empty-handed if you turned up any later than 10am on a Saturday.

The extraordinary early-morning queues are a regular sight at the Bundaberg East store where owner Rick Nelson first opened the bakery seven years ago, with 1400 baked items regularly selling out within three hours of opening.

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On Saturday, July 15, the bakery will have its grand opening at the new and bigger Kepnock location, and while Rick expects the queues to be just as long, the scaled up production means more customers will come away with the bakery’s low FODMAP-certified sourdough loaves, pastries and pasta.

The Pocket Storehouse will have extended opening hours including Thursday and Friday in addition to the regular Saturday opening.

Rick said he and his team have been working “stupid long hours” on the move to the new bakery that is 10 times the size of the original store.

“It’s almost like we’re starting a brand new business,” he said.

“Because it’s significantly larger. All of a sudden you’ve got space for everything.”

The kitchen has six new ovens, with Rick able to finally retire the single oven he bought for $100 on Gumtree when he first opened.

Owner Rick Nelson has installed six new ovens in the kitchen that is 10 times the size of the original store.

A bench is lined with a phalanx of six toaster ovens, ready to churn out the popular range of toasties for those who want to have breakfast in the large sun-drenched seating area at the front of the store.

Rick has taken on around seven new staff and extended opening hours to Thursdays and Fridays.

While popular ever since it opened, demand escalated after the bakery’s sourdough received low FODMAP certification from Monash University in 2020.

The unique sourdough culture and baking process make the Pocket Storehouse the bakery with the largest range of low FODMAP certified sourdough products in Australia.

The Pocket Storehouse has seven low FODMAP certified sourdough products, according to Rick the most of any Australian bakery, and the only wheat pasta in Australia to have received the certification.

“It’s an amazing thing we’ve actually achieved,” Rick said.

“Monash were impressed when we sent them the wheat bread and it came up low FODMAP to the point where you can pretty much eat the whole loaf.”

He said since receiving the certification, gluten-free customers from as far as Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast had visited the store.

“We now have roughly 20 per cent of our customers on a Saturday come from the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane,” Rick said.

“We have people travel up and they’ll get 10 breads and they’ll load up at 10 pastas and they’ll come here once a month.”

The new store has a larger seating area for those who want to relax with a coffee and a toastie.

While the business will grow significantly due to the new location, Rick wants to keep it true to its roots and allow the demand to determine its future.

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“I’m not a forever growing business, we need to settle down and get used to this new site and see how it goes,” he said.

“My plan is to do an ultra huge bake for the Saturday, and then see what happens.”

The Pocket Storehouse is opening at 27 Elliott Heads Rd, Kepnock on Saturday, July 15 from 7am to 12pm.