Youssef Nehme - Old Time Bakery
Youssef Nehme is the founder of Old-Time Bakery Pty Ltd, a Sydney based company that make exclusively gluten-free bread. Youssef’s story and incredible success with his business landed him a spot as a finalist for the 32nd Annual Small Business Award.
Q: What was Youssef’s early life like:
A: With the loss of his mother at a young age, Youssef was forced to drop out of school and start working to help his father support the family financially. With a dream of securing a more promising future for himself and those he loved, Youssef migrated from Lebanon to Australia in 1970, at the age of 23. He came from a very poor family and had limited education. Not speaking any English, Youssef put himself into night school tackle the difficult task of learning a new language.
Youssef Nehme pictured with Joseph Assaf AO, Founder and Chairman of the EBA
Q: What was Youssef’s journey leading up to starting his business?
A: Youssef was determined to work hard, starting out at an electric motor factory, and working his way up. His other business ventures included a fruit shop, taxis, and a kebab shop in Miranda Westfield. In 1990 he won Westfield’s Best Food Retailer. After trying his hand across a wide range of industries, Youssef bought and established Old Time Bakery in 2000.
Q: What is unique about Old Time Bakery?
Old Time Bakery is one of just a few ‘certified organic and gluten-free only’ bakeries in Australia. Recognized by the Heart Foundation of Australia and laying claim to one of the world’s first gluten-free, certified organic flat breads, they even patented their own Tannour Automatic Machine which is now sold domestically and overseas.
Youssef Nehme pictured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Jenny Morrison
Q: What kind of difficulties did the business face?
A: Initially, developing their gluten-free recipe took up a lot of time and resources. They had to change everything about their recipe from the water, temperature, and timing. It took Youssef around eight months to perfect it. They saw no profit for the first 6 months while this was taking place.
Q: What growth has the business experienced?
A: Once they became certified organic and gluten-free, their bread was picked up by Woolworths. Old time Bakery now have 14 employees and are at the top of their competition. They now have three ovens and are making over 50,000 packets of bread per week and are looking at a profit of over 3 million dollars a year.
“Australia is a heaven on earth. I was very lucky to make a decision to come to Australia. I came here for better opportunity and it was very good.”
