Alpine Breads & Bertallis Bakery Benalla

As a self-confessed "bread nut", Andrew Bertalli admits his biggest challenge is running his third-generation regional bakery as a business, not a passion. Janine Perrett reports.

Easier said than done when he has lived and breathed bread all his life.

"I always remember the smell of being in the bakery. I was always there, after school that was where I would play."

His grandfather began the bread dynasty in 1930, operating bakeries around rural Victoria from the Mallee to Warrnambool before settling in Benalla. Andrew's father took over in the 1950s and Andrew himself decided to follow in 1981.

"My mum tried to push us away from the business because of the long hours and hard life but no way, I wanted to do it."

He claims to be happy with the pace of succession planning as he runs things with his father still actively involved.

"It's in his blood; it's his hobby and it's fine with me because we get on very well," Andrew says.

In the 1980s, when his brother also wanted to join the family business, the Bertallis bought another bakehouse in nearby Mansfield, which provides economies of scale. Benalla concentrates on bread and Mansfield on other items, such as pies and cakes. They are then trucked to the each other's retail outlets.

"We want the shopfront for the presence in town, to keep the flag flying."