New-found success for German bakehouse after rough start to year

After months of struggling after a change to a main road, a German cafe has new-found success, making it a positive end to a hard year.

Many businesses have found this year a struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, but one cafe had another hurdle to overcome with the changes to Toowoomba Connection Road late last year.

German Bake and Wurst House is located on Postman’s Ridge Road in Helidon and owner Andrea Wissig said due to a change to the roads in the Helidon Spa area customers weren’t able to easily find their business anymore.

Andrea Wissig and her mother Sonja are professional cake makers and bakers in the German traditional style.

“The Helidon Spa area of the road is quite confusing, and we were devastated when we noticed a decline in customers because they could no longer find us,” she said.

“And then the pandemic hit and we had to close for two months so things were not looking good for us.”

The German Bake and Wurst House is operated by Ms Wissig and her mother Sonja Axthelm.

The pair moved to Toowoomba from Germany in 1999 and in 2018 opened their own business as a way to share some of their favourite dishes with the region’s residents.

The bakery serves all homemade goods which are based on family recipes and German cookbooks including cakes, breads and meals such sausages and sauerkraut.

The German Bake and Wurst House.

A popular sweet treat is the berliners, which look like a doughnut but instead are fluffy like a cake and filled with jam.

After a rough start to the year the mother-daughter duo are now celebrating new-found success thanks to a local shortcut for those travelling down the Toowoomba Range.

“Now we are finding more and more people are travelling down the range via Murphys Creek Road and they are stopping in for a coffee and a bite to eat on the way,” Ms Wissig said.

Cakes on display at The German Bake and Wurst House

“This local route is probably more common for people from the Highfields area because they would know that is a faster route down the mountain.

“We hope they are bringing success to other businesses along the way too like Spring Bluff Railway Station as well as the Murphy’s Creek Tavern and Store.”

German Bake and Wurst House is at 108 Postmans Ridge Rd, Helidon Spa.