Opening a shop in the village where they met is a “dream come true” for the owners of Vegan Bay Baker.
Baker Steven Buchan and his wife, Zoe Buchan, have known each other since their primary school days in Balmedie.
Today, they are celebrating the opening of their brand new bakery in the Aberdeenshire village where they grew up.
The Balmedie venue is the third to open in the north-east following success in Aberdeen and Peterhead – where they often sell up to 200 butteries a day.
“We always wanted Balmedie because it’s a special place for us,” Zoe said. “It’s so nice to have the opportunity to open a shop here.”
‘Huge gap in the market’
In July 2019, Steven’s lifelong goal of owning his own business became a reality with the launch of Scotland’s first craft vegan bakery.
The couple noticed a gap in the market for plant-based baked goods when Zoe adopted a vegan diet six years ago.
“I’m such a sweet tooth, I love cakes and doughnuts, but there was nothing on the market,” she said.
“It got to the point where I was going to a coffee shop and Steven would make me a chocolate cake and take it with me.
“We realised there was a huge gap in the market.”
Steven, 33, spent months adapting recipes from home – through a lot of “trial and error” – which led to the opening of their first bakery in Newburgh.
“We turned our house into a full-fledged bakery, we had massive bags of flour in the hallway all piled up
“It was crazy.”
Vegan Bay Baker to welcome customers in Balmedie
Vegan Bay Baker launched a Crowdfunder this summer to help create the Balmedie space and move their bakery to a new “perfect” space in Ellon.
“We would never have planned to do both in the same year, it’s just how it happened,” Zoe, 31, shared.
“It was a difficult time for us – if we couldn’t find somewhere new we knew we’d have to close.”
Everything Vegan Bay Baker is known for – from cinnamon buns to sourdough bread – will be available at the new Balmedie shop located in the former Indi + Will premises.
As the space is bigger, they also plan to bring in new lines, including sustainable living products in the future.
“The support we’ve had in Peterhead and Aberdeen has been really good, we feel so lucky.
“People have been so nice and supportive, and we have an amazing hardworking team.
“It is a dream come true to open the new shop in Balmedie.”
Conversation