The Estate - Bevendean History Project
Coburn and Baker Factory at the Hyde in Bevendean
Coburn and Baker’s bread and cakes factory at Bevendean.
Joab Coburn moved to Brighton about
30 years ago and was employed as a chef at Food for Friends.
Later he moved to a different restaurant where he was asked to make
cakes.
Entrance to Coburn and Bakers Shop and Café.
While she was pregnant Abi started baking cakes at home, and then with Joab they moved on to Patisserie and Bread making. At this time, they were living in the Dyke Road area of Brighton.
From baking at home, Joab and Abi moved to the Knoll Business Centre on the Old Shoreham Road in Hove. They used the hall and gym, plus the offices above as their bakery but there was insufficient space as the business grew.
They, they rented a factory unit at the Hyde in Lower Bevendean, which was previously used by Brighton Sheet Metal Company which started operations in 1953 and closed down in 2019.
During Covid the company sold bread and cakes from a van and had a
weekly stall on Farm Green and at the Bevy, with various stops around
the town on different days of the week the bakery continued to provide
a much-needed service to the community.Entrance to Coburn and Bakers Shop and Café.
While she was pregnant Abi started baking cakes at home, and then with Joab they moved on to Patisserie and Bread making. At this time, they were living in the Dyke Road area of Brighton.
From baking at home, Joab and Abi moved to the Knoll Business Centre on the Old Shoreham Road in Hove. They used the hall and gym, plus the offices above as their bakery but there was insufficient space as the business grew.
They, they rented a factory unit at the Hyde in Lower Bevendean, which was previously used by Brighton Sheet Metal Company which started operations in 1953 and closed down in 2019.
It was after the Covid pandemic in December 2020, that the business moved to larger premises at the Hyde in Lower Bevendean. The bakery is situated very conveniently next to Sun Harvest from where they get some of their supplies. The flour comes from several sources including a mill at Tring in Hertfordshire, the Oldland Mill at Keymer which stone grinds corn and from Normandy in France for baguettes.
The food preparation area at Coburn and Baker.
Another view of the factory with the bread and cake ovens on the right.
They now employ almost 50 people
including office staff to deal with orders and finance, drivers and a
full time mechanic to repair the machines and also act as a driver when
necessary. The bakery operates 7 days a week with their cakes and
bread being taken by vans every morning as far as Eastbourne going
east, north as far as Godalming and West as far as Chichester, West
Wittering and Petworth. They supply shops, farm shops and cafes
including Middle Farm, the village stores in Alfriston, cafes in
Seaford and the café opposite the car park at Exceat.
Locally they supply the café in Stanmer Village and the
University of Sussex.
Joab and Abi now live in Bevendean to be closer to the factory and are within walking distance of their work and about half the staff also live in the local area
Loaves of Bread being taken out of the ovens.
Much of the work is done by hand rather than by machines, however machines are used to mix the cake mixture. making enough for 10 large cakes at a time. The cake tins are filled by hand. Once cooked these cakes are all decorated by hand.
The bread dough is mixed by machine after which the dough is cut to the right weight and the loaves are shaped by hand before being placed into the bread tins. Fresh yeast is used for all the bread making.
About 3,000 loaves a day are baked at the factory.
A White Seeded Bloomer Loaf.
Two types of ovens are used for the baking of the products, one has fixed shelves on which the trays can be placed, the second is a large oven into which trolleys can be pushed for baking.
There is a machine which weighs and then cuts the bread dough for making rolls, although here the weight is checked by one of the bakers on a set of scales before being placed in a tin ready for proving before they are baked.
Balls of dough being shaped by hand ready for proving and then baking.
The filo pastry is rolled thin and folded by a machine to get sufficient layers with butter in between. This makes the laminated pastry necessary for pastries and small cakes.
Joab and Abi now live in Bevendean to be closer to the factory and are within walking distance of their work and about half the staff also live in the local area
Loaves of Bread being taken out of the ovens.
Much of the work is done by hand rather than by machines, however machines are used to mix the cake mixture. making enough for 10 large cakes at a time. The cake tins are filled by hand. Once cooked these cakes are all decorated by hand.
The bread dough is mixed by machine after which the dough is cut to the right weight and the loaves are shaped by hand before being placed into the bread tins. Fresh yeast is used for all the bread making.
About 3,000 loaves a day are baked at the factory.
A White Seeded Bloomer Loaf.
Two types of ovens are used for the baking of the products, one has fixed shelves on which the trays can be placed, the second is a large oven into which trolleys can be pushed for baking.
There is a machine which weighs and then cuts the bread dough for making rolls, although here the weight is checked by one of the bakers on a set of scales before being placed in a tin ready for proving before they are baked.
Balls of dough being shaped by hand ready for proving and then baking.
The filo pastry is rolled thin and folded by a machine to get sufficient layers with butter in between. This makes the laminated pastry necessary for pastries and small cakes.
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