BABCO started simply; a love for pizza, a kitchen without an oven and a husband keen to bake!

Jeremy and Alice have always found fantastic enjoyment in baking and cooking together; preferably from scratch and frequently experimenting with different cuisines. Newly married, J&A moved into their first rental – a furnished granny flat with everything except an oven. Not satisfied with the cooking capabilities of the rental’s microwave Jeremy built a pizza oven in the backyard (yes, with the landlords approval). And thus begun the love for cooking with fire and baking from scratch.

The first real step toward’s making BABCO a reality began when Jeremy, a keen TradeMe browser, took a gamble and placed a bid on two wood-fired pizza ovens. The dream was to find himself a job that would allow the time to be able to regularly practice making sourdough bread. He won the auction and suddenly they had a mobile food business. With the pizza trailers came the need for a prep kitchen, equipment and a solid game plan. Luckily Alice’s Aunty had a kitchen, Jeremy knew where he could find the equipment and although neither really had the game plan they knew enough to be able to google the rest. The odd pizza park up grew very quickly into selling bread and pastries on the side of the road, cooking pizzas three times a week and delivering bread to homes around Palmerston North. Within 9 months the demand had grown beyond the capabilities of their prep kitchen and there was only one thing to do. Quit the day jobs and go full-time.

Fast-forward to now and BABCO has grown exponentially into more than Jeremy or Alice could’ve ever imagined. It’s a chance to be creative, make great food, build a unique business and provide the community with a space to be inspired and indulge.