Banjo’s Bakery Café is shining a light on eight of its longest-serving colleagues, who between them have 200 years of collective experience with the brand.
Team members Marcel Schnitzer, Trevor Curtis, Kelly Graves, Rod Saxby, Todd Ferguson, Jeremy Buckland, Nicholas Benjamin and Richard Connell have played an integral role in shaping Banjo’s.
Tasmanian locals Schnitzer and Kelly have been with Banjo’s from its very first Hobart bakery, growing alongside the brand as it became a national franchise. Schnitzer will celebrate 40 years with the business later this year, while Graves marks 39.
Together, they now lead Banjo’s research and development team.
“Back then, everything was paper-based, from recipe books to audits and now we’ve got custom-built systems for recipes and point-of-sale. The growth has been exponential,” Schnitzer said
A self-proclaimed “professional taste-tester”, Graves has worked across almost every department.
Marcel Schnitzer, above left, back in the day at Banjo’s.
“Some people change companies to gain new skills. I’ve gained them all within Banjo’s,” she said.
“Banjo’s has never stayed stagnant. There’s always been growth, new challenges and new opportunities. It feels like a family here,” she added.
Banjo’s CEO, Jessica Saxby, said “We’re proud to be a business where people can grow, take on new opportunities and be part of something bigger. Seeing colleagues like Marcel and Kelly dedicate decades to the business, helping shape our menu and mentor the next generation, is what Banjo’s is about.”
