October saw the small Victorian town of Beechworth come together to celebrate 40 years of business for Beechworth Bakery.

The baking institution celebrated the milestone in style with a full street party held in front of the bakery.

Beechworth Bakery managing director Marty Matassoni, who has been part of the Beechworth Bakery team since he was 13-years-old, said the day of celebrations had been absolutely fantastic.

“We had an outpouring of support from local and loyal customers who shared congratulations and fond memories from the past 40 years,” he said.

“It was heartwarming to see how much Beechworth Bakery means to them.”

Marty said the entire team had got involved, with team members from the bakery’s other locations even travelling to Beechworth to join in.

“They truly pulled off a flawless event. Closing down a street for the day was no small feat, but the team made it happen seamlessly. The effort was huge but seeing everyone’s joy made it all worthwhile,” he said.

More than 100mm of rain on the Friday preceding the celebrations had seen half the town losing power, however the Saturday proved the perfect spring day.

“We set up a stage for local bands, hosted magicians and roaming entertainment, arranged a petting zoo, baking demos, stilt walkers, and lots more. The funniest part of the day was the pie-eating competition where over 20 locals competed against the SES to see who could eat three pies the fastest. All this to win a few meat trays,” Marty said.

Other businesses in Beechworth had been invited to take part in the day, and a record crowd of more than 5000 people passed through. A bakery stall was set up in the street that sold all the crowd favourites alongside coffee and souvenirs. Marty said they also held their famous 10-cent pie sale, which proved a huge hit.

“The day also served as an opportunity to launch our fifth edition cookbook, which has been revised, reviewed and re-tested. The cookbook also serves as a journey through the 40-year history of Beechworth Bakery,” Marty said.

“It was a good, old-fashioned street festival. Many people who attended have pulled me aside to say how important it was for the town and what a success it was. Many people have asked if we’ll do it again next year.”