Bringing the taste of European baking to Havelock: Wildflower Bakery

Nestled in the colourful village of Havelock, Wildflower Bakery specializes in hand-crafted organic bread, lunch, espresso coffee and European-style pastries. For owners Scott Williams and Lea Tran, this opportunity to provide sustainably grown and local ingredients to their local community is something they cherish.

Married since 2017, Scott and Lea created Wildflower Bakery as a way to bring European-style pastries and organic bread to the Peterborough area. Scott’s diverse baking experience has seen him working in top bakeries across Canada, including most notably Polestar Hearth Bakery in Guelph and Boulangerie Niemand in Kamouraska, Quebec. For Scott, it all started with sourdough.

“One of my earliest memories of appreciating good, high-quality baking is the first time I tried freshly made sourdough from a wood-fired oven. From there, my obsession with homemade bread really took off and it’s still a passion I have today,” laughs Scott.

With over 20 years of experience, Scott is the primary baker and mastermind behind Wildflower Bakery’s incredible range of homemade bread, pastries and lunch items. Their menu is always changing and new bakery items can often be found in the shop. For Scott and Lea, exploring new baking techniques is important for attracting new customers to the store.

After a three-month honeymoon travelling across Canada, Scott and Lea moved to the Peterborough area with their baby daughter in 2018 to be closer to family. Scott and Lea fell in love with the sense of community and support.

“I created Wildflower Bakery’s menu because these are the baked goods and pastries that I wanted to eat and I knew other local retailers were not making them. I figured if I was making them for myself, I might as well make them for everyone!” Scott jokes. “His passion for baking has always been apparent the entire time I have known him,” adds Lea. “Creating Wildflower just seemed like the next obvious step.”

When asked what Wildflower Bakery is best known for, Scott and Lea immediately agreed, “the sourdough bread and our croissants.” According to Lea, customers love the authenticness of their traditional French croissants and fruit-filled danishes. “We really pride ourselves on using locally sourced ingredients combined with traditional European baking methods to create a delicious high-quality product.”

In addition to their pastries and baked goods, Wildflower Bakery is also known for its selection of entirely organic bread. “All of our bread is made with 100% all-natural, organic ingredients” says Lea. “This commitment to quality and ethically sourced ingredients is what our customers really appreciate and keep them coming back.”

Wildflower Bakery has also recently begun offering premium espressos and is one of the only local locations in Havelock to offer this type of coffee. “We recognized that local customers in our area were having to drive to Peterborough to get an espresso, so we brought that option to them,” explains Scott.

When asked about their experience starting a business in the Peterborough area, Scott and Lea feel grateful for the local community support and the support of their families. “We could not have done this without the support of our local customers in addition to the support of our families. Raising a toddler and running a business in the midst of the pandemic is certainly not something we had prepared for in our first few years of business,” says Lea.

Scott and Lea feel incredibly grateful to be able to provide essential food items to local residents. As Lea puts it, “the support we have received from the local community has been amazing from the very beginning. People in this area feel very connected to their local retailers and providers, which has not only helped our retail store but also the other local shops where we provide bread and baked goods.”

For more information on Wildflower Bakery, visit their website or retail store location at 4 Oak Street in Havelock, ON. Wildflower Bakery products can be purchased at these local retailers in Peterborough: Jo Anne’s Place Health Foods, Kit Coffee, and The Food Shop.