Nothing ‘half-baked’ about Allan’s Bakery

When it comes to bread and pastry making in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Allan Smith & Family Bakery takes the cake.

They have been putting bread on the tables of New Yorkers and Vincentians for a combined total of more than 50 years, and the recent Best Baker and Best Bakery awards from Best of SVG is icing on the cake for the company after 15 years of local operation.

Allan’s Bakery, as it is commonly called, started in Brooklyn, New York in the 1960s when Allan Smith started selling bread from a van, mostly to Caribbean sporting teams. The business grew from there, so Smith purchased property and began operations at the current location on Nostrand Avenue.

The local branch was established in 2002 and employs 50 persons. The bakery produces a wide variety of bread, cakes and pastries, which they distribute to a number of local retail outlets and sell from their main location at Campden Park Industrial Estate and the mobile unit outside the Kingstown Central Market.

The scale of the bakery’s operations is impressive by local standards. It occupies a large space, filled with industry sized ovens, mixers and other machinery. In addition to wheat flour for its whole wheat products, the company uses 2,000 pounds of white flour every week. The 100-pound sacks of flour, giant-sized blocks of shortening and other ingredients have no idea of their potential, as they wait to be combined and turned into tasty treats.

The bakers start work from as early as 5 a.m. and the baggers come in at 2 p.m. and work until 9.

In the mornings, there is dough everywhere, and in the afternoon, there is bread everywhere. Bread in the oven. Bread waiting to be bagged. Bread being sandwich sliced. Bread packed and ready to be delivered.

Sixteen-year old Ethan Smith, son of Allan Smith, is part-time assistant manager at the bakery. The fifth-form student, who resides in Dominica, has been in the position since 2015, when the senior Smith went to check on the operations in New York and left him in charge for two weeks. Since then, he has been working at the bakery during his breaks from school. He credits their success to maturity in the business and the passion of the bakers.

“I think it’s the experience and the love that we put into the product. With experience, everything gets better. When they called Allan Smith & Family Bakery, for the best bakery, I was really elated, on top of the world. We have noticed a slight increase in sales from that time,” Smith said. He also believes that the familial relationship between staff and management helps in maintaining the high quality of the products.

The most popular pastries are currant rolls, jam buns and bread pudding, while penny bread, soft dough and hard dough are the best-selling breads. Smith expressed appreciation to the customers and pledged that Allan’s Bakery would continue to meet their expectations.

“The fact that we have been taking care of your baking needs in the New York area and the Caribbean for over 50 years is irrefutable evidence of our longevity in this important sector. As we look forward to serving you for another 50 years, we will intensify our efforts, aimed at ensuring that we live up to and even surpass the message in our slogan ‘quality is our passion’.”

Allan Smith & Family Bakery can be contacted at 457-8317.