It only took six weeks.

And now, almost two years later, it has got to the point where  the company needs more staff in order to meet growing demand.

Manu Bread's reputation has grown rapidly throughout the past two years, through its regular stalls at the Harvest Market, Evandale Market and Cradle Coast Farmers Market and its 20 stockists.

Its product is made at its Invermay Road headquarters, which Mr Bell and his wife leased in April 2012.

``I was working in Coles Bay at the time and there was a French baker down there at the bakery,'' Mr Bell said.

``I was in the process of redeveloping my shop . . . and he came to me asking if I could incorporate an aspect of a bakery within that.''

The pair decided to look for   premises in Launceston instead - as that's where Mr and Mrs Bell's children went to school - and the next day they found the Invermay store.

``After six weeks we'd reached the capacity of one baker,'' Mr Bell said.

``So we took on one more baker and now we have a team of 13.''

But the business is still expanding.

Manu Bread manager Archana Brammall said that to cope with demand, the business had ordered handmade ovens from Italy to increase its pastry products and had called for more staff.

She said more than 150 applications had been received for its administration assistant and delivery driver roles, but none so far for a pastrycook - which it desperately needed.

Mrs Brammall said that as for the future of the company, it wasn't looking to open its own retail store as it liked giving something back to its local stockists.

``If we grow, they grow, and if they grow, we grow,'' Mrs Brammall said.

Mr Bell hopes  that one day the company will provide stock to interstate outlets, where it is already developing a growing reputation for high-quality produce.

``There's a lot to do and there's a lot of potential, but it's a matter of controlling that growth so that we don't get ahead of ourselves,'' Mr Bell said.