Tip Top bread manufacturer celebrates 50 year anniversary of bakeries in Australia

ICONIC brand Tip Top is celebrating its 50 year anniversary of baking bread in Australia this week. A lot has changed in that time.

A LOT has changed when it comes to bread over the past few decades.

When Garry Carpenter started working at Tip Top as a 17-year-old apprentice bread was always square and white.

“Now everyone wants multigrain,” he said.

“In the old days we used to make eight or nine varieties of bread, now we make up to 35.

“We put folate in it for ladies.”

Tip Top, which celebrates its 50th anniversary of Australian bakeries this week, was the first brand to offer sliced and wrapped bread in Australia in 1958.

At that time deliveries were made by horse and carriage straight to people’s front doors.

Tip Top, which is owned by George Weston Foods, started with the amalgamation of several small bakeries in NSW and Victoria.

Over the years it has developed brand names including Sunblest, The One and 9Grain and has more than 5000 employees nationwide.

Mr Carpenter started working at the company in 1972 and is one of its longest-serving employees.

He worked his way up in a range of jobs to become production manager at the company’s Chullora baker.

“There are probably about five or six of us who have been around that long, the ladies in the pay office and people in the IT section,” he said.

“I’ve worked with a lot of good people, and still do

“It’s good to have a secure job.”

Mr Carpenter has seen major changes in the food industry over the years, especially when it comes to OH&S implementations and regulations.

“Before we weren’t allowed to bake bread before midnight - if you did you’d get fired,” he said.

“Now you can bake bread 24/7.”

Over this time with the company Mr Carpenter has followed its many memorable advertising campaigns, including the famous “Good on ya Mum” commercials from the late 1970s.

The jingle will get a digital revamp as part of the 50th anniversary commemorations, with the company launching a “mum song dedications” website inviting Australians to create a personalised song for their mum which they can then share via Facebook, email or a new service called Twillio where the song can be sent to your mum’s mobile.

Go to mumsongdedications.com