MOST people may not be pleased at the idea of working with your family for half a century, but Joanne Duffy wouldn't have it any other way.
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Smart's Bakery in Lavington celebrated 50 years of business this week.
The shop opened in 1966 as a Smart's Cakes on Mate Street by Joe and Faye Smart.
Joanne Duffy, who has worked in her parents’ bakery since she left school, said she had always enjoyed coming to work.
"I don’t know anything else. I love coming to work, I never get out of bed and am not happy," she said.
"I remember the shop opened when I was six."
"I was always coming home after school to help dad make lamingtons."
As the business grew into wholesale products, the family moved to a bigger premise on Wagga Road where the shop still remains.
Mrs Duffy and her husband Tony took over the business in 1995.
They renamed it Smart's Bakery and started to bake their own bread.
"I met my husband on a blind date and we went out on five or six dates until I found out he was a baker," she said.
Mr and Mrs Duffy have two daughters, who both are looking at careers outside of the baking industry.
At 78, her father Joe is still a part of the business.
"Dad is still doing deliveries," she said.
"He retired a few years ago and from day one of retirement he got up out of bed and did the deliveries.
"He lives above the bakery with mum.”
Mrs Duffy admitted the baking business had seen some large changes during her time in the industry.
"The biggest change over the 50 years has been the suppliers," she said.
"You used to be able to buy mostly locally but now you can’t get anything over night."
"We get a flour delivery once a month from Melbourne, whereas we used to buy it locally until the flour mill closed down."
"We buy locally the things that we can, like honey and dairy, but most of it comes from Melbourne."
"When companies close down you have switch products and change your recipes and customers get cranky."
Mrs Duffy admits mixing family with business is not always easy.
"It’s hard work and you have arguments and everyone always thinks that they’re right," she said.
"We have Christmas Day and family functions at the bakery ."
"I love my family and my father has always been here and I see him every day.
"My brother works just up the road and I see him every day and there aren’t too many family are like that anymore."
