Independently-owned, and offering a taste of traditional French patisserie, Gatineau sells artisanal sweet and savoury delicacies from their shop in Summertown. We spoke to General Manager and Business Development and Marketing Manager, Debora Brand.
How long has your business been going?
Since 2007 - 13 years in January.
What motivated you to start a business?
The business is owned by Hervé Gatineau and he is still very much active in the business as the head pastry chef and overseeing all parts of the business and the management of both our pastry and bakery kitchens. Previously to opening Gatineau Artisan Patisserie & Bakery in Summertown, Hervé worked as a pastry chef in various businesses abroad. He first arrived in the UK in 1997 to work at the main centre of operations for Maison Blanc in London’s Park Royal. He stayed there for ten years, several of those as Head of Pastry. Hervé always wanted to have his own shop and production kitchen, so when the opportunity here in Summertown came up, him and his wife Mary decided to take the chance and have been really successful since then.
What do you like best about being based in Oxfordshire?
There is a good clientele where we are: people know how to appreciate good-quality products and they know they can come here for a little piece of France. Being quite central and not far from London also means that we get a lot of wedding orders as well, which is really great for us.
Not to mention that Oxford is so multicultural and even though we have a lot of regular clients, we also constantly get new ones coming through the door. It's lovely to have this kind of diversity.
Do you think Oxford is a good place to run a small business?
It certainly has its challenges, especially with hiring people. We see a regular change in staffing, especially with the part-timers as we offer job opportunities to younger people near the area. When they are off to school or university, it means we need to recruit again. But it is also a positive for us as it keeps the business interesting with new faces through the year.
What's the best thing about running a small business?
For me - I am the General Manager here and also the Business Development and Marketing Manager - it is all about being part of a nice little family. It also means that my job is varied and I can help out in all parts of the business. So I can be in the office all day dealing with daily admin of our wholesale clients, or downstairs helping the staff in the shop, but also being creative with our social media and marketing. From time to time I also have to do our deliveries when we have no drivers.
So all in all, there is not much I haven't done around here, and a lot of our staff end up helping in different areas as well. We are all very close and go out for meals together quite often.
And of course, last but not least, the clients: we get to know them and be part of their lives as well. We have a great number of them that come every day so we all know what they like and we can always have a nice chat with them.
What’s the biggest challenge?
Hiring good people. I think that will always be the biggest one and I am sure I am not alone when I say this. Nowadays, people don't seem to want to stay in the same job for long. Having said that, we have been so lucky this past year. We have an amazing team in place now and we do our best to keep them happy so they don't go anywhere!
What's the funniest thing that's happened in the shop?
Oh wow, I would need thousands of pages to write about all that we go through on a daily basis here! Since I joined, a bit more than 3 years ago, I have been saying that we should have a reality TV show... The stories go from the customers that come in every day asking for hot water cutting in front of other clients and driving everyone up the wall, to bakery machines deciding not to work all at the same time, to suddenly have not enough bakers and everyone else in the business becoming one, to supplier delivery drivers dropping a whole ton of flour... I mean, the stories are endless and normally if something goes wrong in one day you can count that 2 other things will happen all on the same day as well!
What’s your favourite product?
Ahhh, that is so difficult to choose but I am a big big fan of our pains au chocolat. It's just so perfect just like our croissants. But everything here is amazing, I am definitely spoiled now and find it very hard when I go to other bakeries to find the same quality!
Is there anything else you’d like to highlight?
Well, we are refurbishing the front of our shop soon. We already have the new sign with the new logo on. And we are going to be implementing a loyalty programme for our customers soon as well. There are lots of projects on the pipeline but as with any small business we have to prioritise sometimes whatever comes our way and some of them get postpone, but we are getting there. Lots of new changes to come.
And I should not forget to mention that we have a very thriving wholesale business and we are always looking for new clients that want to join in. We work with Oxford University Colleges, restaurants like Pompette and the Jam Factory, cafes like Brew, Society Cafe, The Missing Bean and Colombia Coffee Roasters, hotels like Vanbrugh House and Royal Oxford and Delis like Branca and The Market Garden in Eynsham. We love how so many businesses have embraced us and continue to offer our products to their clients.
Welcome to Daily Info’s 2023 Advent Calendar – 24 days of festive tips, free activities & local shopping suggestions!
This year's calendar offers a mix of Christmas suggestions, taking in traditions in Oxford and the wider area, and free activities & events in the build up to the big day.
