Riverside Sourdough
Meet the fabulous folk behind Riverside Sourdough, a small co-operative bakery making Cardiff's finest sourdough and vegan pastries.. Riverside Sourdough bake in the heart of Cathays at their home of Cathays Community Centre, which they share with the fabulous Wild Thing (as well as all the other amazing things that go on at the Centre).
We sat down for a conversation with them.
What inspired you to start your business?
The business initially started life as part of a local food co-op (Hungry Planet, which was located on Clifton St), but was spun out as its own business following the wrapping up of that project.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
We are each of us individuals inspired by different things, which we bring to the mix. The Tartine bakery in San Francisco is a massive inspiration to all sourdough bakeries across the world, so that's a big one for us, but we are also inspired by conversations with our customers (both trade and individuals), and by movements for fairness, equality and sustainability.
What inspires you to create new products or diversify your product line?
It's really difficult to do this because every bread that we make has its diehard fans. But we're inspired by the world around us, by seasonal produce, and by conversations with other bread fans and bakers.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
It's different for each of us, but making a product that people really value - hearing the feedback and the stories about the different ways in which people use their bread, is probably the main one. Being able to support employing more people who are passionate about bread is another great one as a director of a small business.
What are you proudest of in terms of your business?
Our ethical standpoint on employee involvement and a flat pay structure for everyone. The fact that we, as a team, have been able to make this business significantly more profitable over the last few years without raising prices is really heartwarming - we've recently become a living wage employer which has been something we've been aiming for, for years.
Have you collaborated with others in the market?
We cross-promote with other people - when we were in lockdown we tried to reach out to some traders to help them keep their amazing produce available to customers.
Which product is your favourite or sums up what you do?
Our Malted Wheat and Seed bread is by far our most popular product, and is generally most of our favourites as well - but we’ve got some exciting new breads coming up on a rotating basis, so keep your eye out for those.
