More than just bread on the rise at a Steinbach bakery

Old Church Bakery’s simple dough-making videos have turned into a social media sensation, offering followers a cozy behind-the-scenes look at the process and helping the bakery gain a massive following that has boosted their sales.

A video, posted in August of 2023, now has over 35 million views. It shows one of their bakers pouring out a massive vat of raw chocolate cherry sourdough onto the counter, followed by the perfect jiggle of the dough.

“We had a bunch before that at 10 million which is crazy, but I guess people were already finding our content very satisfying and interesting, then that particular video got really big,” said Megan Dueck, the general manager of the Old Church Bakery.

Despite the bakery’s international following, Dueck admits she wasn’t initially sure how much of an impact social media would have on their sales.

“It has been beneficial even thought our pastries are good for one day, it has made an impact on our business for sure,” she explained.

“I have interacted with so many people who came out that have said we were on a road trip across Canada and detoured to see you guys, so it’s always special to hear those stories and interact with those people.”

Social media has allowed Dueck and her team to connect with both fans and fellow bakeries around the globe, further propelling the bakery’s fame. And it’s not just about the views, as videos have racked up millions of views, with the bakery’s Instagram following now sitting at 154,000, far surpassing the population of Steinbach itself.

“A lot of people love to bake just haven’t chosen it as a profession. So, they love seeing what we do back there, you can’t make that many loaves of bread or croissants at home, so it’s really satisfying seeing the bigger production behind the scenes,” Dueck explained.

Due to this success, the bakery is now looking to move to a bigger location sometime in late spring or early summer.

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