Our Process
FROM STARTER TO SLICE
At Olivier’s, every loaf begins with simple ingredients and a process we’ve spent years refining. From our 17-year-old sourdough starter to 24 hours of natural fermentation, shaping, baking, slicing and quality checks, each step is carefully considered before our bread leaves the bakery.
Here’s how we make it.
01 STARTER
Our 17-year-old sourdough starter (named Jerome) was created by Olivier after coming from France.
This living culture of wild yeast and naturally occurring bacteria helps our bread rise naturally while developing its flavour, aroma and character.
02 MIX
Flour, water, salt and sourdough starter come together in our industrial mixers.
Each mixer can handle up to 150 kg of flour at a time. Once everything is combined, our bakers check the dough by hand to make sure the consistency is just right before it moves to the next stage.
02 SHAPE
Our dough shaper stretches and shapes the dough before fermentation.
Getting the hydration right is essential. If the dough is not at the proper consistency, it can tear, move unevenly or jam the machine.
This machine has a story of its own. Olivier and his son bought it used and rebuilt it themselves, even making some of the parts from scratch.
02 FERMENTATION
Our bread is given 24 hours to ferment and rise naturally.
We use naturally leavened dough, including our sourdough starter and a portion of dough that has been fermenting for several weeks to help develop a deeper flavour.
24 HOURS. Natural Fermentation.
05 BAKE
We use two different types of ovens in our bakery.
Our pan-shaped breads bake while rotating inside the oven for an even bake. Even at this scale, the process is still highly hands-on.
Our bakers remove each loaf from its pan by hand while the bread is still hot from the oven.
06 SLICE & CHECK
After cooling, our breads are sliced and bagged.
Every loaf then passes through a metal detector as part of our quality-control process. The detector is tested every two hours.
If anything is detected, or if a loaf is the wrong size, compressed air automatically removes it from the production line.
07 GIVE BACK
Three times a week, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank brings six bins to our bakery to be filled with bread.
That means approximately 18 bins of bread every week are collected and distributed through local food banks.
Bread that has passed its best-before date is separated and repurposed as animal feed.
GOOD BREAD TAKES TIME.
GOOD BREAD TAKES TIME.
