100% DELICIOUS & GOOD FOR YOU
Sourdough Mate is a small independently run family business based in Melbourne CBD & Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula. We stock considered, functional & quality tools for professional & home bakers.
Our aim is to teach the ancient craft of sourdough baking to as many home cooks as we possibly can. Easy to follow instructions, quality tools & efficient service to help beginner bakers succeed in their bread journey.
Nutrient-rich breads (gluten & gluten-free) baked at home that are delicious & satisfying without the addition of un-friendly ingredients like emulsifiers, rising agents & preservatives.
We hope you enjoy your time here, learn something new & thank you for visiting.
Anh Rattigan - Mum, sourdough baker & boss lady at Sourdough Mate
HOW IT ALL STARTED…
It all began in 2014 when Anh, a self taught baker, (follow her on Instagram) moved to the quiet seaside village of Mount Martha & was desperate for the type of artisan sourdough she was so fortunate to have while living in inner city Melbourne. At the time there wasn’t anything close, only supermarket white slice bread. She quickly learnt how to grow her own sourdough starter from scratch & was soon experimenting & baking loaves for family, friends, & neighbours! It was the perfect opportunity to practise & perfect the art of bread making at home. Her hobby became a passion & her little home quickly became a micro-bakery overflowing with delicious smells of baked goods.
Fast forward to 2020, during Melbourne’s infamous lockdowns Anh had an idea to bake sourdough bread for her local community in Mount Martha & began baking & hanging hot bread outside her home as a way to share her passion during a difficult time. It became an instant hit! Her bread became as popular as the demand for her bread classes & soon everyone wanted to learn how to bake sourdough bread from home. The idea of having a “Mate” who could teach & guide you step-by-step through the process without physically attending baking classes was exactly what our Sourdough Mate Starter Kits were design to do. All the right tools, instructional online videos & ongoing support. Novice bakers could now learn at their own pace & in the comfort of their kitchens.
Today, Sourdough Mate still remains a family run small business based in Melbourne CBD & Mornington Peninsula. We have grown to become Australia’s biggest supplier of German wood pulp bannetons & handcrafted professional tools for the baking community.
WE STRIVE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Up-cycled Mailing Boxes
We also (where we can) reuse any shipping boxes to give them a second/third life, ensuring that we minimise waste and extend the use of each box’s life cycle. So if you receive a box from us that doesn’t look like ours, it’s most likely a box that has been up-cycled but carefully packed on the inside by our team (most likely Anh’s Dad pictured below).
Home-compostable Mailing Bags
We are aware of the number of plastic bags Australians use every year (more 5 Billion in fact) so we have made sure our mailing bags do not add to this statistic. We have used kraft paper & minimise plastic where possible.
All our mailing bags are 100% home-compostable, and can be composted both at home and commercially.
Learn more about our environmental & sustainable approach here.
Instructions & Recipe Cards
We've gone paperless! Everything you need is now online, including recipes & instructions via our Bread Kit Guide and new Facebook Support Group.
