Chittick's Bakery

October 2022

Ready for Growth participant Chittick’s Bakery is a commercial bakery based in Warrnambool, 3 hours west of Melbourne, Victoria.

Since commencing operations in 1930, Chittick’s has become a household name for producing all manner of baked products including its award-winning pies, breads, cakes and slices.

It’s no secret that the manufacturing industry was hard hit at the advent of COVID-19. For Chittick’s, the business was impacted by staffing issues preventing the business from being profitable.

Paul Lockwood, Chittick’s Bakery General Manager, started the Ready for Growth Program in May 2022. It was a good time for Chittick’s to revisit their business goals.

The growth plan developed during the program fitted nicely with their strategic plan. In conjunction with a BDO Growth Facilitator, Paul set the following growth outcomes: return the business to profitability and return the shareholders investments, clearly define the revenue mix and define the target clients across local area, wholesale and contract manufacturing.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the Ready for Growth Program delivered by Business Victoria. I enjoyed it particularly the accountability meetings with the Growth Facilitator to discuss strategic decisions. My Growth facilitator provided in-depth knowledge and insights to ensure the business was focused on meeting the growth outcomes.”

It was a great decision for Chittick’s to be part of the program. It also helped them to have a better understanding about best practices process and procedures to support future growth.

“I highly recommend the program. It is a great initiative from Business Victoria and also, free of charge. BDO’S Growth Facilitator had a great skillset and contributed providing different perspectives of the business.”

Ready for Growth assists Victorian businesses to grown and succeed. Visit https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/ready-for-growth to find out more.