A New LifeA German couple left their business and academic jobs to set up a bakery in Arklow, writes Sylvia Thompson
In Germany in the 1980s, there was widespread dissatisfaction among the post-war generation about the centrality of industrialisation, capitalism and materialism to the psyche of the nation. Not only did many young Germans voice their disapproval through anti-nuclear protests and by giving huge support to the German Green Party, but many others left their homeland to set up lives in countries all over the world.
Egon and Liane Friedrich were part of this exodus. Widely travelled and unwilling to settle down in their own country, they first set their sights on Afghanistan. "We had lots of friends in Afghanistan, and Germany had lots of ties with places like Kabul University before the second World War. But, that all changed when Russia invaded Afghanistan," explains Egon, ready to apply rich historical knowledge to more recent events in Afghanistan. However, that's a story for another day. Meanwhile, Egon had visited Ireland as a teenager, and the memory of travelling by horse-drawn caravan through beautifully peaceful scenery in Co Wicklow stayed with him.
So, while finishing their studies - Liane graduated in economics and Egon graduated in information technology with a post-graduate qualification in higher education - and taking up good posts (Liane as a financial controller in a pharmaceutical company and Egon as a lecturer in maths, physics and politics at Cologne Technical College), they held on to their dream of moving to Ireland.
After much searching, they bought a cottage in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow. When Liane was pregnant with their first child, she came here for the birth. Two years later, she returned again for the birth of their second child.
"I wanted them to be Irish so they would have the same rights as Irish people. Also, if they were boys, I didn't want them to have to do service in the German army so I simply took them out of the German system," she explains. As it turned out, the babies were both girls.
Back in Germany, living in the centre of Bonn with two young children, they were "brainstorming" to see what business they could set up in Ireland, considering everything from an ice cream shop to selling stoves to Egon training as an electrician. An advertisement in a newspaper in which a baker in Bonn was selling off all his bakery equipment gave them the answer they needed.
"We realised that every time we came to Ireland on holidays, we came with a boot full of German bread, so we thought there must be a niche market for proper bread and not the cardboard stuff we got here," says Liane frankly.
So, decision made, they bought a house on the main street in Arklow, Co Wicklow in 1985 and Egon set about converting the shed at the back to a bakery. Within a year - in spite of having to treat the whole house for dry rot - they moved from their cottage in Brittas into their new home, opening a shop at the front while working in the bakery behind the house.
"We were completely broke by the time we were finished, but the first day we opened the shop - after baking for one week - we had sold out of everything by 2 p.m. and had £200 in the till," explains Egon.
In those early days, the Stoneoven bakery did a fine trade in birthday cakes, Black Forest gateau and apple doughnuts alongside German-style breads. Since then, with the installation of a new, larger oven (also bought second-hand in Hanover and transported from Germany), the emphasis has moved firmly towards breads. And, from about 1992 onwards, Stoneoven bakery has supplied many shops, restaurants and delicatessens with its trademark sourdough breads.
During this period, Egon also trained to be a skipper and later a yacht master instructor, leaving the bakery in the capable hands of Liane and their staff to sail as captain of a super yacht from 1997 to 1999.
"To do something like this is a dream for everyone involved in sailing. It was hard for the family but the local people were very supportive to Liane as were the teachers in the school to the girls," says Egon. Since then, he spends shorter times at sea and sometimes Liane goes with him on a chartered yacht to places such as the Canaries. Egon also teaches navigation theory classes in Dublin and Wicklow and gives practical training at sea.
Looking back now at how their business developed, Egon says, "It was a bumpy ride with lots of valleys and potholes." Liane adds, "It has always been quite a struggle."
However, they are both quick to point out that their quality of life has been wonderful. "We're very pleased with what we did and that our children, Anja and Alice - both of whom are now studying at Dublin City University - went through the system here. It has been a real family business and the children grew up helping out in the bakery and the shop," adds Liane.
"Being self-employed is wonderful. There is no time wasted driving to work. We both wanted a home industry and we have learned a lot by being left alone with the freedom to do our own thing," adds Egon.