Erwin's Fine Baking & Delicatessen to hand off bakery through contest

Courtesy Erwin's Fine Baking & Delicatessen

Have you ever hoped to run your own bakery?

One Kamloops-based bakery is about to make that happen for one lucky aspirant, as it plans to hand off its business through a skills-based contest.

Erwin’s Fine Baking & Delicatesse, which has operated for the last 50 years, is known for its handcrafted bread, pastries, and desserts.

The business is now launching a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pass off the bakery to the perfect candidate or candidates to carry on its legacy.

The current owners | Courtesy Erwin’s Fine Baking & Delicatessen

To participate in the contest, candidates must be Canadian citizens (except Quebec residents), be 19 or over, and pay a $1,000 entry fee – which may sound like a lot, but it’s a small price to pay for an entire business.

Candidates are then required to write an essay that explains “why they would be the best fit and include details about their baking, business, and management experience,” according to the contest guidelines. Submissions must be made through the contest website.

“We want the next owners of our business to have the best chance of success,” says Robyn Haley, co-owner of Erwin’s Fine Baking & Delicatessen. “A key component to that is having a debt-free business able to respond to the economy and opportunities; something we didn’t fully feel equipped to do after taking over the business ourselves.”

Courtesy Erwin’s Fine Baking & Delicatessen

Candidates will be evaluated based on their skills, passion, creativity, and “commitment to upholding the highest standards of baking excellence, a cornerstone value of Erwin’s Fine Baking.”

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The contest will initially be open for three months, until July 22, but will be extended up to six months if needed to find the perfect candidate. Once it’s closed, 10 entrants will be selected and their essays will be reviewed by two independent judges. One winner will be chosen, in addition to three runners-up.

Erwin’s is one of the last remaining bakeries in the interior of BC to make all of its pastries from scratch and, as a result, has become an integral part of the community.

Do you think you have what it takes to carry on this legacy?