S3-02. Flour Market - David Donde

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, I chat to David Donde, the entrepreneur behind Flour Market, a Cape Town bakery built around good ingredients, traditional methods and a commitment to making bread properly. David is best known for his contribution to the local specialty coffee scene through Origin Coffee and Truth Coffee, but Flour Market takes his interest in product quality into a different part of the food business.

We talk about why David decided to open a bakery after encountering problems with the sourdough supply to Truth, and how a production kitchen developed into a business in its own right. Flour Market’s approach is deliberately simple: use excellent ingredients, keep recipes focused and pay attention to the details. David explains why flour selection matters, and why even a simple toasted cheese sandwich is elevated by the quality of the bread, wheat and cheese.

Our conversation also explores David’s empirical approach to business, from roasting coffee and refining recipes to testing new ideas, measuring the results and making changes when something does not work. We discuss sourdough, the role of time in bread making, the value of having good bakers working alongside one another and his belief that there is always a better way to do things. It’s a conversation about craft, entrepreneurship and the decisions behind making everyday food well.

• www.rwm2012.com
• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
• Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay