Signature Sourdough microbakery development approved amid reopening

When a boutique bakery was forced to shut down near Gympie, owner James Brown felt his world falling apart. Now, as he prepares to reopen, he reveals his expansion plans and a dream that could put Byron Bay foodies on notice.

A popular Gympie region bakery is preparing to reopen after it was unexpectedly shut down.

When Cooloola Cove based artisan bakery Signature Sourdough was forced to close in April 2022, rumours swirled as to what had happened to the popular small business, including claims it was shut down by a health inspector.

Now, baker and owner James Brown has set the record straight.

Mr Brown, who moved to the Cooloola Coast with his family during the height of Covid, was forced to close the bakery after it was brought to his attention he was missing important documents.

“I basically was asked to cease trading until I got all my permits,” he said.

The shock revelation immediately put Mr Brown and his family under financial stress.

“I wasn’t having a good time, put it that way,” he said.

“We had invested a lot into it, there was a lot … riding on this, and the stress levels just peaked.”

But now, more than four months later, Signature Sourdough is finally on track to reopen, after a development application to transform a shed on the Cooloola Cove property into a kitchen was approved.

“I have to get a builder certifier out to certify the building, and I’m not allowed to do anything until then,” Mr Brown said.

The application was first lodged in December 2021, and approved 210 days later in July 2022.

Signature Sourdough is a popular favourite at Gympie region markets and wholesale green grocers, including Ginger’s on Horseshoe Bend, but Mr Brown already has big plans for the future after his business reopens.

“Anything is on the table. I’d love to open some sort of farm to plate sort of bakery cafe like in Byron Bay,” he said.

There are also plans to sell Signature Sourdough in Hervey Bay.

Mr Brown has not scheduled a date for the grand reopening of the business.