Let's Talk: The owners of Tinto Bakery, Beth and Josh Taylor.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
From the depths of a food truck on a chilly winter’s morning or the grounds of a market at the crack of dawn, through to the sleek design inside Tinto Bakery.
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Through Beth and Josh Taylor’s journey owning Tinto, one theme has remained consistent — community support.
With Josh, 30, hailing from Barham and his wife, Beth, 29, from Melbourne, the couple moved to Greater Shepparton four years ago.
Not once did they expect those years to unfold how they did.
Prior to the 2020 lockdowns, Josh had dabbled in the making of sourdough and the occasional sweet treat every now and again, but it wasn’t until the world came to a standstill that baking became a more serious venture.
Josh began slinging his newfound creations at Shepparton coffee shop Brother Pablo, beginning with the humble hot cross bun.
“For Good Friday, we’d put a couple of hundred buns through the home oven and they all sold,” he said.
“So we thought, ‘there might be something here’.”
And so ensued more baking — on a larger scale than expected.
It began with buns and breads, which rapidly expanded into croissants, danishes, cookies, donuts and a multitude of other experiments.
Treats: Lockdown baking turned legit for Josh Taylor.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Soon enough, the couple realised their home oven probably couldn’t take much more. So they leased a shop front.
As lockdowns became less varied and more frequent, while working on their store, the Taylors expanded to a food truck placed behind the High St premises.
Each week they’d open from 8am until selling out and with a growing following, punters would line up to get their hands on that week’s newest pastry or loaf.
Josh said sourcing ingredients had always been with “a vision for local food”, finding high-quality product from as close as possible, the flour in particular coming freshly milled and delivered from a local farmer.
“We've had people that say ‘I don't eat bread but I'll come and buy things because I want to support you’,” he said.
“It's been a great opportunity to get to know people within the community as well, people who have come in as customers, we get to know them and know about their lives.”
Small business owners: “It's a really big part of why we do what we do, creating community,” Josh says.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The Tinto Bakery store front opened in March 2022.
With wide sprawling windows, local artistry on display and an array of sweet and savoury pastries and breads — accompanied by the soft whirring of a coffee machine — Josh said it embodied all they’d imagined.
“We like having somewhere we can make our own and invite people into that space,” he said.
“It's a really big part of why we do what we do, creating community, building that kind of thing and having a meeting place.”
Though the small business owners have heard a time or two (thousand) before that ‘they really took the cake’ with lockdown baking, they’re grateful for where it has led them.
And where it will next.
“Growth is not always the end goal,” he said.
“I think for us, the two things we’re mindful of is our staff and what they like doing and what they like making.
“And the other is the community, what people like and what people are interested in.
“We're kind of driven by those two things and finding a balance.”
Tinto Bakery is located at 217 High St, Shepparton, and can be followed on Instagram at _tintobakery.
∎ Caitlyn Grant and Megan Fisher are opening the conversation for young people on all things from mental health to success stories in their weekly column, Let’s Talk. If you or someone you know has a story, contact caitlyn.grant@mmg.com.au or megan.fisher@sheppnews.com.au
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