Local people: Val Dale from Zweefers Cakes, Fairy Meadow

Zweefers Cakes co-owner Val Dale took a love of baking with her mother from a young age and turned it into an opportunity to buy a business doing what she loved.

In 2017, she moved from a career in HR to purchasing the Fairy Meadow business, which started with two women 25 years earlier.

Throughout that time, it’s continued the high standard of produce, good reputation and unique selection of cakes that has made it a much-loved and well-known location in the Illawarra.

Here’s Val’s story...

When did you buy Zweefers and why did you decide to take it over?

I bought it almost four years ago, in 2017. It's a family business with myself, Dennis and Kelly Dale. My background is in HR. I used to work in the mining industry. I came to the business without experience, really. It was just because of a passion for food and baking. I grew up in a family with a mother who used to do a lot of baking. So I was involved in that from a very young age.

Why has it been such a well-loved business in Fairy Meadow, do you think?

We still have the original recipes and I think that’s why Zweefers is so well known. Some of them are really quite unique cakes.

Probably the most popular would be the Passionfruit Japonaise, which is absolutely delicious. It’s always been a favourite at Zweefers. It originated in France and is an almond meringue sponge.

The other reason is the staff at the back and front of the business. We are fortunate to have such great people working for us who truly care about the business and enjoy coming to work each day.

What do you remember of Zweefers from its early days?

I used to buy all my cakes for birthdays and special occasions at Zweefers. So I was very familiar with it.

Two women started the business 25 years ago, I believe. The second owners were Darren and Natalie, who bought in 2004. Darren worked for the original owners as a pastry chef, then he purchased the business himself.

So what items or flavours have you introduced since taking over?

We’ve introduced our range of pies, which we bake here on the premises. We make our own pastry and filling. They’ve become quite popular with the locals.

What other services do you provide?

>We have a wholesale side to the business. We deliver to cafes and a lot of local businesses from as far south as Gerringong. It’s mainly local businesses, but we do travel down the coast a bit too. It was already happening when we bought the business. We just continued on with that.

Our specialty cakes are quite new to Zweefers. We do quite a lot of custom design cakes for birthdays and other occasions. We’ve seen a lot of growth in the custom design cakes, particularly over the past six months. It’s hard to choose a favourite - they all look amazing.

What do you love about working and living in Fairy Meadow?

We live in Fairy Meadow and love the area, because it has a great community, it's close to the beautiful beaches and many other tourist attractions.

So, what can the Fairy Meadow community expect next from Zweefers?

Our plan is to continue with the great work that we’re doing. Maybe to build on some of the recipes we already have, so we can add to our range.

It’s a credit to the previous owners - which there’s now been three of - for keeping the quality and great reputations that Zweefers has in the community.

You can find out more about their delicious range r order your own specialty cake by visiting Zweefers Cakes.

And if you've got a story to share, get in touch with myself, Joanne Danckwardt on 0426 264 771.