A cult-favourite Sydney bakery has been forced to shut its doors after a decade of serving the community, amid rising cost-of-living pressures.
We Are Nutie was famous for elaborate doughnuts and treats that prove vegan and gluten-free food doesn’t have to “taste like cardboard”.
Sina Klug and her husband Jacques Dumont built the institution from humble beginnings, starting off with a stall at the Bondi Farmers Markets.
But after 10 years, the devastated business owner told news.com.au that the escalating economic pressures simply became too much to bare.
“I honestly feel broken, I feel empty,” Mrs Klug said.
“It’s just not possible anymore to afford these ingredients without having to charge $15 for a single doughnut.
“I couldn’t do that with my conscience and no one could afford that either.”
The heartbreaking closure is a devastating blow given the bakery’s booming early success.
After launching at the markets, the gluten-free business quickly became a viral sensation, expanding across Balmain, Surry Hills, and eventually Dulwich Hill.
But now, the rising cost of living has caused yet another business casualty, forcing the “broken” owners to close for good.
The beloved baker explained that small business owners are constantly being “squeezed from all sides” and often suffer in silence.
“In hospitality, we’re forced to always have our game face on to always smile,” she explained.
“We put that face on so much for others that it’s really hard to actually admit that you feel defeated.”
Mounting living pressures
Despite immense community support, Mrs Klug said Nutie simply ran out of margins.
She explained that the highly specialised nature of gluten-free baking made them uniquely vulnerable to skyrocketing supply costs.
“Instead of $20 for a bag of flour, we were paying $140 for a box of almond meal,” she revealed.
Alongside the increasing ingredient and supply costs, the bakery was also being battered by rising electricity bills and wages.
Changes to regulations, such as credit card surcharges being scrapped, also made a real difference to a business already running on tight budgets.
On top of that, the national cost-of-living crisis drastically shifted customer spending habits.
“Our regulars that used to come in daily now come maybe two or three times a week,” Mrs Klug said.
“But they don’t go to full boxes anymore, they just get one item,” she continued.
“So many people also make their coffee at home now, because it’s hard for them to just afford their rent and their basic groceries.
“Supporting a small business or just eating out is a luxury now. And that’s a shift we feel every day.”
While Nutie has closed, the couple will pour their remaining efforts into their separate vegan bakery, Miss Sina in Marrickville.
Community outpour
Taking to social media to announce the closure, Mrs Klug admitted that the end of Nutie was “not a choice”.
“This isn’t something we wanted. It’s something we had to do,” the post read.
Reflecting on their 10-year journey, she described the bakery as a “safe place for people who often couldn’t just walk into any bakery and feel included”.
Mrs Klug stressed the closure was “never about lack of support” from their loyal customers who stood in queues and celebrated birthdays with them for a decade.
The devastating news sparked an outpouring of grief from loyal customers and fellow business owners who viewed the bakery as a “second home”.
“Such a sad reality for so many businesses,” one person wrote.
“The Surry Hills store was one of the first places I discovered upon moving to Sydney, it definitely helped make me feel at home here,” said a second.
“Times are really so tough at the moment. Sending you lots of love for brighter, creative days ahead,” chimed in a third.
“You have built something truly special (and delicious). The only bakery that attended to all of my group of friends’ dietaries. Forever in our hearts,” another commented.
Others, including small businesses alike, said they deeply resonated with the heartfelt words.
“As a fellow business owner I feel for you and totally understand,” one person shared.
“Business is tough. Long hours, endless costs while still needing to push through another day.
“Often hospitality is not seen as an important part of life because it’s just food but no one really understands what it takes.”
“When most of us slowly disappear then they’ll ask ‘where was that place that made all those delicious goods?’ By then it will be too late,” said another.
Mrs Klug is urging all Aussies to fight for the corner shops, florists, and cafes that make a suburb “feel like a community instead of just a postcode”.
“Come by, say hi, give your favourite spots a bit of love — not just us, all of them,” she said.
Read related topics:Sydney