Rise and shine! UWL alumnus Mantas Kozlovskis tells us about his work at Bundu bakery
Intro
Mantas Kozlovskis’ Bundu Bakery in his hometown of Kaunas, in Lithuania, has been open for almost two years and is going from strength to strength. He jokes that he recently apologised to Culinary Arts Course Leader Ben Christopherson as, while studying on the degree course at the University of West London, he told him that when he graduated, he would never become a baker.
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I have discovered that working with pastry and bread gives me so much joy. I had to let Ben know that he was right, and I do love it,"
Mantas says.
At the moment, I'm trying to perfect my lamination skills for croissants.”
Bundu Bakery is a highly original enterprise which promotes sustainability and community engagement with its customer base, as well as providing delicious baked goods and coffee. Drinks use non-dairy alternatives, and the café is working on reducing plastic waste. Since March, all takeaway cups are now part of a recycling system.
Mantas originally returned to Lithuania after graduation and started working in a bakery in Vilnius. After he helped expand the business, he decided to work for himself, as he explains:
If I'm putting that much effort in, wouldn't it make sense to do it for my own benefit?”
Judging that Vilnius already had a lot of eateries, he decided to move to Kaunas where there was less competition.
By chance, I met two people who also had the idea of opening a coffee shop and it just happened in something like two months,”
he says.
While he is nervous of sounding overconfident, Bundu Bakery is thriving and has a staff of 12. Mantas chose ‘bundu’ as in Lithuanian it has two meanings – one of which is a loaf, and the other is to get up in the morning. His most popular products? Cinnamon buns are always very popular, as are his chocolate buckwheat cookies.
Our main goal was to express ourselves and make high quality pastry and baked goods that add a cultural, culinary approach to a city, which is not very familiar with that kind of concept,”
he says.
Going forward Mantas is keen to offer customers baking and bread-making classes, alongside expanding the reach of the business.
Mantas remembers his time at UWL with fondness.
I learned so much - to see every single step from the supplier to the plates was a huge part of what has brought me to where I am today. There are great chefs at the University and their approach means they treat you as a friend, but you still feel their authority and respect for them,”
he says.
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