For Andreas Knip, baking has been part of life for as long as he can remember. His own bakery was founded in 1993, but the dream started much earlier. In fact, it started when Andreas was only four years old.
As the story goes, young Andreas once grabbed a saw, headed into the woods and was about to cut down a birch tree. He had wandered onto his neighbour’s land, where the neighbour soon came to ask what he was doing. Andreas had a simple answer: he was building a bakery. The idea of becoming a baker stayed with him as he grew up. Baking was also part of his family history, as his great-grandfather on his father’s side ran a bakery in Kvevlax around the turn of the 20th century. Andreas never saw the old bakery himself, but he grew up hearing stories about it.
As a child, Andreas was happiest in the kitchen. He took part in 4H baking activities and learned the basics of everything from baking to calculating ingredient costs. By the age of 12, he was already selling his own bread to people passing by on the local roads. Today, Knip’s Bakery employs almost 30 people and offers a wide selection of breads, pastries, cakes and other treats.
You can find Knip’s own cafés and shops at several locations, including the bakery in Kvevlax, Café Minimossen in Storviken, WasaFiika in central Vaasa, and Café Dosetten and Café Rosetten in Smedsby.
Inspiration for new recipes and products can come from many places: a customer’s special request, an interesting new ingredient, or simply the desire to try something different. For Andreas and his team, it is rewarding to turn new ideas into something delicious and see customers enjoy the result.