How Rocket Bakery Became a Newfoundland Icon ft. Kelly Mansell
Kelly Mansell left central Canada for Newfoundland, opened a bakery with no food-service background, and built a St. John’s community institution.
Rocket Bakery grew through local music, inclusive menus, community space and a brand philosophy that puts relationships before transactions.
In this episode, we break down:
- Why Kelly Mansell left central Canada and moved her family to Newfoundland to launch Rocket Bakery
- How Rocket Bakery built an instantly recognizable brand rooted in Newfoundland culture
- Why community events, kitchen parties and local musicians became central to the bakery’s identity
- How giving community groups free event space helped build loyalty and long-term relationships
- The challenges of growing and operating a restaurant business through COVID and beyond
- Why inclusive menus for vegan, gluten-conscious and culturally diverse customers have helped Rocket reach new audiences
- The challenge of succession planning and finding the next generation to carry an established local business forward
- How Rocket adapts traditional Newfoundland food while embracing dishes and ideas from new Canadians
- Why the Rocket roast chicken sandwich and baked fish cakes became customer favourites
- Hosts: Paul Micucci
- Guests: Kelly Mansell
Timestamps:
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:34 Leaving central Canada for Newfoundland
- 03:29 Building Rocket Bakery from the ground up
- 05:02 Adjusting to Newfoundland life and culture
- 07:19 Where the Rocket Bakery name came from
- 09:42 Building community through events and shared space
- 11:42 Rocket Bakery’s famous weekly kitchen party
- 13:29 Why giving back became part of the business model
- 16:02 What’s next for Rocket Bakery
- 17:26 Building better systems and finding future leadership
- 20:16 Serving changing dietary and cultural needs
- 22:28 Food, culture and the complete customer experience
- 24:31 Rocket Bakery’s bestsellers and Newfoundland classics
If you enjoyed this, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Visit https://www.tplmedia.ca
Pillars: Happiness
#RocketBakery #Newfoundland #SmallBusiness #StJohns #Entrepreneurship
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