Perseverance prevails as couple achieve lifelong dream by opening second BEK Sourdough Bakery in Gosport

After moving to the UK from Hungary ten years ago, Tamas Konkoly and Angela Balla have spent the last four years paving the way for the success of their business - BEK Sourdough Bakery.

The duo started their venture from their home, but after growing in size, and working as a wholesale bakery supplying to 20 businesses, the couple opened their first store in February of this year.

Located in St Denys Road, Southampton, Tamas said the bakery has gone down a treat, prompting the couple to open their second bakery in Gosport high street following increasing demand.

Tamas said: “The first shop is going really well. It is a well supported bakery by the local community so we wanted to expand our community into Gosport. We have had a lot of messages and enquiries about doing deliveries in that area.

“There is a lot of work to be done but I’m really excited because it gives us the opportunity to see more faces and meet the local community.”

BEK Sourdough Bakery offers plant based sourdough breads and pastries including flat croissants with nuts, Raspberry New York rolls, cookies, Chelsea buns and more.

There are also plans in the pipeline to start offering sandwiches using their award-winning multi-seed and plain sourdough bread, which placed in Britain’s Best Loaf Awards this year.

Tamas added: “We came to UK from Hungary ten years ago - before we established our bakery, we worked a lot of different jobs over here because we had to start from scratch. Back in Hungary, we were police officers, but when we came over, we had to find a new profession. I was a delivery driver and a bus driver and then when my career changed, I started learning everything about how a bakery works.

“It was one of our dreams to establish a bakery so we worked hard for four years, seven days a week, to make it work, and it’s a great feeling when you see the customers and you get to make someone’s day.”

The latest BEK shop is due to be open by November, with the pair working round the clock to create their second inviting bakery space.

For more information about BEK Sourdough Bakery, click here.