Dooher’s has done it again: for the second year in a row, the Campbellford bakery has been named Sweetest Bakery in Canada.
On Friday (October 18), global bakery manufacturer and ingredient supplier Dawn Foods announced the winners of both the Canadian and American versions of the online contest.
More than 1,200 bakeries across the U.S. and Canada participated in the competitions, which the Michigan-based company has been running for the past three years.
Dooher’s Bakery first won the Sweetest Bakery in Canada competition last year. This year, between July and September, people cast more than 1.4 million votes online and via text for their favourite bakery.
Dooher’s and Belleville Bakery were both competing for the number one position but, by the end of the voting period, Dooher’s came out on top.
IT’S OFFICIAL! THANK YOU FOR VOTING US CANADA’S SWEETEST BAKERY 2 YEARS IN A ROW!??????
From all of us at the bakery – we…Posted by Dooher’s Bakery on Friday, October 18, 2019
Dooher’s Bakery, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, was founded in 1949 when Muriel and Harry Dooher opened a small bakery in Madoc, using a small wood-fired oven and a manually pumped water tank to bake their goods.
In 1956, the bakery relocated to Campbellford, ending up at its current location 61 Bridge Street East in 1977, when Muriel and Harry’s son Peter began operating the bakery with his wife Christine.
In 2013, Peter’s daughter Cory took over ownership of the bakery (although her father continues to bake during the busy season). Today, Cory’s three children (Jeremy, Hannah and Spencer) also work at the bakery — making it a fourth-generation family-owned bakery.
“To be named the Sweetest Bakery in Canada for the second year in a row is an incredible feeling,” Cory says. “As a fourth-generation bakery, we know the support of our local community is key to our success, and we cannot thank everyone enough for voting for us again this year.”
“My grandparents started the bakery 70 years ago with just two little wood-burning ovens, and today we have grown to a staff of more than 30. I know they would be incredibly proud of this recognition and where we are today.”
In the provincial results, Dooher’s also placed number one in the top full-line bakeries category for Ontario, with Doo Doo’s Bakery (187 County Rd. 28, Bailieboro) voted as the sweetest donut shop.
In the American competition, Sweet Crunch Bakeshop in Pembroke, New Hampshire was voted the Sweetest Bakery in America.
Each of the Canadian and U.S. Sweetest Bakery winners receive a prize package valued at $6,721, which includes an all-expenses paid trip for two to participate in a workshop with Dawn Food’s senior bakery application chef, where they will create custom bakery items and learn about the industry’s latest trends to incorporate new ideas into their offerings.
