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Sonoma are the modest giants of Sydney. Sprung from simple beginnings in Bellata, country NSW, the father and sons team now has an extended family of artisan bakers sharing the load.

Kerry, Andrew and Christian Connole operate a sourdough bakery in the heart of Sydney. Sonoma competes in the same market as yeasted sourdough bakeries. They have hospitality clients, which means that chefs are choosing Sonoma's 100% sourdough for customers who may be trying sourdough for the first time.

That's a strong vote of confidence in a market where yeasted sourdough is a safer bet for consumers more familiar with yeast bread.

Sonoma made the decision to abandon wood-fired ovens in favour of electric and gas. This was a tough decision, brought on by the failure of one wood oven and the need to keep up with demand. Wood-fired ovens are comparitively labour-intensive and have a slower recovery cycle than modern deck ovens.

A retarder is part of the process and accounts for the characteristic 'blistered crust'. It appears that this style of crust is now considered an asset by consumers -see forum post. There's also a lot of talk about a retarders positive effects on flavour.

In the retail shop/cafe at Glebe, Sonoma's humble beginnings and attitude to bread are still evident: There's a simple bread rack with an intelligent range of organic loaves to suit most tastes, including wheat and gluten sensitivities.

Behind the counter are humans who are not counter-staff at all. Like Sonoma's products, the people are not over-stated, they are as humble as pie.