Baker: Kate Williams
Kate Williams. With a background in marketing and graphic design, Kate Williams launched nodo (pronounced “no-dough”) in 2014 to spread happiness through beautiful baked goods that combine artisan methods and naturally gluten free ingredients.
From an initial market stall to eight booming locations, an online store and more, nodo is now a Queensland institution with a cult-like status and loyal following.
How did you come up with the idea for starting Nodo?
Nodo was born due to a problem I was having in my own personal life. In my early 20’s I was diagnosed with coelic disease which basically means you can’t have any gluten. This was almost 20 years ago so the options were very limited back then. I would chose whatever item was GF rather than what I was craving or what looked delicious. Nodo was a way of me putting the fun back into GF, wholesome food.
When you started out did you imagine Nodo would grow into being a full café offering with eight locations and a popular line of bake-at-home products? From the outset I wanted to build a brand, a platform to expand the product offering. I envisaged nodo would have a presence across Australia and even abroad. I never imagined that nodo would have more than one location in Brisbane, but it’s been an amazing journey and I have learnt so much about our business in the process.
The introduction of the blends was really an organic process. When I was developing the donuts in the early stages I wasn’t happy with any of the gluten free flours available on the market so I decided to blend one myself, which was a little blessing because it has allowed us to grow the brand outside of Brisbane without the large investment of opening stores interstate. The edition of our ‘bake at home’ flour blends means that people from all over the world can now bake products at home that we have been making in the café for years, like our waffles/pancakes, banana bread and brownies.
What were the early days like for you?
Starting at the markets was the most valuable experience for me. I got to speak directly with the target market and my learnings in the early days were invaluable. It really helped shape my product offering and nodo. When I finally made the decision to open the very first nodo café it was a very overwhelming experience to be honest. I don’t think I was prepared for how many different hats I would have to wear. I was across all sections, baking, accounting, marketing, human resources. It took me probably a little too long to start handing over certain roles so I could focus on what I was good at. Once I surrounded myself with experts in each field, people who I trusted and were as passionate about nodo as I was, that’s where the magic really started to happen.
What’s been your biggest learning curve?
It’s ok not to be great at everything as a business owner. Just find people who are great, so you can focus on what you do best.
What are some of the key skills you need to start your own bakery/cafe? It sounds cliché but you really have to love what you do and be authentic. You have to be prepared to give it everything when starting your own bakery café. Those early days when you are setting the foundations of the business take a lot of energy. If you are not authentic in your offering your staff and customers will see right through you. Your passion for what you do needs to translate down to everyone and I think that’s the key.
You have a beautiful brand, from your logo to your shop layouts, how important is that to your business success? Thank you! Asethics are everything to me and I feel like everything was very considered from how our donuts and food are presented, how the products are packaged, through to the shop layout and design. My background is in marketing so I am really passionate about branding. I think it’s everything in business. A brand really sets the tone and communicates so much to your audience about who you are as a business.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Since starting nodo I have had 3 beautiful children who are all under 5 years old, so my days look a little different now. When I started the business I would be baking in the kitchen at 2am but now I am attending to my babes in the morning, getting them ready to take them to daycare. After school drop off I am straight to the stores. I like to visit all the stores every week and sample the goods that we offer. Yep eating donuts and drinking coffee is part of my job. My main focus is on making sure we have consistency across all the stores and everything is to ‘nodo standard’. I am also responsible for new product development and marketing strategies to continue to build the brand and what’s next for nodo.
What would you tell your younger self? Believe in yourself. I feel like confidence has always held me back and I am only now (at 39 years old) just starting to be more confident in myself.
How long did it take to perfect your signature gluten free donut recipe? It probably took me 4-6 months of trialling in the kitchen. I am not a baker, but I became obsessed with creating the perfect taste and texture. I am a perfectionist so I still wasn’t 100% happy when I launched nodo at the markets but if I waited til I was 100% happy I probably never would have made it to the markets. I am grateful that my husband gave me to push just to start!
Where to next for Nodo? I always have a million plans and ideas running through my mind. I feel like we are just getting warmed up. I am blessed to have the best and motivated team around me who are always ready for anything. We will look to expand outside of Brisbane now that I am comfortable we can expand without comprosing the product and our current offering. I am also putting a lot of focus and energy into our blends range which I think has limitless potential.
Franc’s Fast Five
Favourite donut flavour? Beetroot Blackout
Sneakers or high heels? Sneakers!!
Dream Nodo location around the world? Japan
Secret skill (that is now no longer a secret?) Juggling lol
Books or movies? Movies