Karen Spyce, owner of COBS Bread bakery in Sault Ste. Marie, is calling it the adventure of a lifetime.
Spyce, along with her husband Matt, are putting the final touches on the new COBS Bread Bakery in the Churchill Plaza, and expect to be serving their first fresh-kneaded loaves in early November.
It’s a brand new venture for the Spyce family. Karen, who has worked with the Algoma School Board for the past two years, and Matt, a retired Sault police officer, said running a bakery is uncharted terrain for both of them.
But their love of people – not to mention a love for the wholesome treats served in store – gives them the ideal background to bring the bakery online.
“We don’t have a business background,” Karen said, “but with Matt coming over from policing, and me from the school, we definitely have a people background.”
The couple made their decision to bring COBS Bread to the Sault after “getting hooked” on the breads during a kids’ fundraiser in Alberta, where Matt had been stationed as a member of the Canadian Forces.
“We had a very picky daughter,” Karen said. “Especially with packed lunches. She would only eat white bread, it was very specific.”
But after trying COBS high fibre bread, their daughter became an instant fan.
“It tastes just like white bread, but it's four times the amount of fibre that the kids are getting,” Karen said, noting that COBS’ breads contain no added preservatives and each loaf is baked fresh in-store, every morning.
“It makes the perfect bread to pack for lunch for the little ones, and it’s super healthy.”
“Nothing’s frozen, everything's baked from scratch.” Matt said. “And then, at the end of the day, all unsold product is donated back to the community.”
“It's actually about $1,200 a day that we donate back.”
Karen, like Matt, said she was also impressed with COBS’ commitment to social involvement. An endeavour the whole family could get behind.
“With Matt being in that first responder role, and me at the school board, we’re all about giving back,” she said. “We are excited to be partnering with the following community partners, ARCH Hospice, Paulines Place, H.M. Robbins Public School and Ben R. McMullin Public School through our End of Day Giving Program.”
Through their End of Day Giving program, COBS Bread bakeries connect with their larger communities by helping every bread find a home after the shop doors close.
The company says it makes them feel like a real part of the communities in which they operate, provides bread to those who need it, and helps reduce food waste.
COBS Bread Bakeries has distributed over $300 million worth of product donations to date, Karen said.
With a team slowly coming on board – over 150 people applied for a handful of roles at the bakery – the Spyces say they’re looking forward to the first days when they can show Sault Ste. Marie what all the hype has been about.
“Right off the hop, we caught a lot of people's attention in how we give back to the community,” Karen said. “So a lot of people stand behind that and want to work for a company that does something of that nature.”
And if the interest from the public has been any indication, COBS is getting ready for a long, productive stay in the Soo.
History of COBS Bread
At the end of the day, it’s still about the bread.
COBS Bread, a branch of the Australian bakery franchise Bakers Delight, was founded in 1980 by Roger and Lesley Gillespie. It grew from a multi-generational family business, and has since expanded to encompass over 700 bakeries located in communities worldwide, with 145 of them across Canada.
It has staked its reputation on delivering preservative-free loaves to communities across the world, and consumers are responding with support.
Their offerings are something health-conscious buyers in the Soo will appreciate, not to mention those who enjoy slicing through a warm loaf of bread straight from the oven.
“Flax sourdough is probably my favourite bread,” Matt said. “And country grain, as well.”
“If you had to compare the country grain to anything, it would probably be similar to a multigrain bread, coming from the whole wheat family. And I also love our high fibre bread.”
Karen says she prefers the cinnamon loaf, adding that this type of bread makes the “perfect” French toast.
“I also love the traditional sourdough bread,” she said. “It’s best for making grilled cheese.”
COBS Bread supports a healthy lifestyle by offering a broad range of products that contribute to healthy living.
Interested in learning more about the Spyce family and what they’ve got baking at COBS?
Get updates from Karen and Matt and the staff at COBS Breads Bakery in the Churchill Plaza by following their Instagram page.