Husband-wife duo mark major milestone as side hustle becomes their new normal

A Nova Scotia couple quit their jobs to start Rosie’s Sourdough Studio.

Debra and Rocco Flores started baking to relieve their stress at work.

“My husband and I are both in very stressful jobs, and we were looking for sort of an outlet, and started baking,” Debra told CTV.

“And it’s just taken off from there. You make some for yourself, you share it with friends, and then people are like, you should seriously think about it. So, we did.”

What started as a hobby quickly grew because of the product and lifestyle they wanted.

“I quit my job. I was a 911 operator with the RCMP here in Nova Scotia, and I just needed something that was maybe a little less stressful. And this has been the ticket. I couldn’t be happier,” she said.

“So I’ve been in the medical field for a long time, and I was looking for something else,” added Rocco.

“We wanted to have a quieter life, you know, be able to enjoy what Nova Scotia has to offer. This allows us that freedom and still be able to support our family, and we really like helping the community.”

It was support from friends and neighbours that spurred the idea to start selling their baked goods.

“We lived in a place where it wasn’t quite tight-knit. People didn’t really talk to each other,” Rocco explained. “Making this shift has allowed us to get to know everybody and make a lot of really good friends here in Nova Scotia. So, yeah, we enjoy it.”

Sourdough has always been a product in Debra’s life.

“When I was 27, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and I was looking for better ways, better food to have,” she said. “And sourdough’s been one of those things that’s kept me really gut healthy. So, I’m sticking with it. I love it.”

They just celebrated one year of Rosie’s Sourdough Studio, where they sell their products at farmers markets, like the Halifax Seaport Market and Tantallon.

“We’ve had a lot of people ask us if we want to do a brick and mortar. We really like the freedom, like our goal was to focus on family and do something that’s sustainable,” said Debra. “And this has been perfect for us. We’re able to go away when we feel like it.”

As for the baking process, it’s been a learning curve, but a good one.

“Well, starter takes about a good 30 days, and a lot of people don’t realize that. But I do offer a sourdough class that I teach at Saffron and Salt in Halifax, so if anyone’s interested, I host it about once a month. So you can come and I’m going to teach you everything. There’s no gatekeeping,” laughed Debra.

“I was always a pretty good cook. Not much of a baker. But going through this process, I’ve learned a lot,” added Rocco.

“And, my wife and I are a pretty good team, so she’s good at some things. I’m good at other things, it’s become something that I’m enjoying. Especially when you get great feedback from people, like how much they love our product.”

Catering to the community is what makes them so successful.

“The community we have in our neighborhood where we live at was so initially like the most supportive,” said Debra.

“And that’s what encouraged us to go a little further. They want good quality food and that’s what we’re giving them. We’re not raising the prices and you’re getting what you pay for. I think people like to know that it’s sourced locally. It doesn’t contain a million ingredients and there’s no preservatives in it,” she added.

“It feels great because you never know what’s going to happen in business,” said Rocco on celebrating one year.

“I actually tried doing some Italian food for a while, and it just was too much for us. So, to get to this point, and things are looking good and people are happy with what we’re putting out, so that makes us feel great.”

As for working as a husband-and-wife duo, for them, it works.

“It’s interesting. It’s actually great. I’m surprised that it actually is going so well,” said Rocco. “We work great as a team, and we’re with each other all the time. So, I think people do see that when they come and visit us. We’re just a family. And we get to know everyone, and we’re getting a lot of repeat customers that like us and like our food.”

Their daughter designs the logos and boards at the market every week, and they do take preorders for those interested. So, they are hoping year one is just the beginning.

“We just want to keep on doing what we’re doing,” said Rocco. “And hopefully that just keeps taking off.”

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