FROM a humble home kitchen to his own royal shopfront, ScRoll Queen founder Dylan McQueen has enjoyed the twists and turns generated from his spiralled treats.
What started as a side project around two years ago has grown into a promising enterprise for the Mount Gambier father-of-three, recently opening the first ScRoll Queen store on Bay Road at the Badenoch’s shopping strip.
Mr McQueen said the past two years had been a blur and praised the community’s outpouring of support.
“It began when I started looking at the future and thinking about the expenses of private schooling for our boys,” Mr McQueen said.
“I have always enjoyed baking and it just began as an on-the-side cash injection.”
Knowing cinnamon scrolls were popular in Europe and America as food that went hand-in-hand with coffee, Mr McQueen capitalized on what he saw as a hole in the market and launched his brand.
“I began selling my scrolls through Bay Blue Espresso Bar and promoting them through the Mount Gambier Farmers Market and it grew from there,” he said.
“I hoped, but I never thought I would be where I am so quickly and have been blown away but the community’s support.”
While launching his vision, Mr McQueen maintained full-time employment as well as operating his business from home.
“My wife and I look back now and think about how crazy it was,” he said.
“I was doing 40 or more hours weekly as Forty Winks floor manager and I would be at work some days from 8am in the morning and finishing at 5pm to 6pm.
“I would go home, prepare the scrolls, refrigerate them and they would be ready to pop in the oven first thing in the morning.”
Mr McQueen said it was manageable to begin with, but the demand continued to grow.
“I was using every hour I had to make it work … I would deliver them, go home to get changed and then go to work,” he said.
“I ended up supplying three cafes in the end all from home and all through baking in a domestic oven.
“Our whole kitchen and back family room area was completely dedicated to making scrolls.”
In February last year, Mr McQueen made the decision to go full-time with ScRoll Queen.
Opening his storefront just over a fortnight ago, Mr McQueen said he approached the decision with caution given the COVID-19 pandemic and business restrictions.
“Once the coronavirus crisis really hit, I started to wonder whether I should open or not,” he said.
“I began to feel like whether I was being irresponsible for creating a place where people had to go out and get scrolls.
“In the end, I was forced to do that and the public has been understanding about complying with the regulations we all have to follow.”
Declaring each bite a “taste of royalty”, Mr McQueen said he maintained a positive outlook while building his iconic branding.
“I ended up creating two-metre distance markers and painting them gold to run with the royal theme and have received great feedback,” he said.
“I have also made it that only one person is only allowed inside at the one time and I told people to think about it as a VIP experience.”
Mr McQueen said the ScRoll Queen branding often led to people assuming the business was operated by a woman.
“The ScRoll Queen name was my wife’s idea and I said no immediately because as a guy I thought it would sound weird,” he said.
“I thought about it and it was more about the brand, not about me and it was cool to have my name incorporated in it.
“I would one day like to grow my business into a franchise, but I am also happy keeping with what I am doing now.”
Since establishing his business, Mr McQueen has been involved in the Venture Dorm Limestone Coast, Tenison Woods College hospitality workshops and has had his scrolls taste-tested by celebrities visiting the region.
“I love being part of such a positive and supportive community and I look forward to what the future holds,” Mr McQueen said.
The ScRoll Queen store will be open to the public from 10am to 2pm on Saturday with scrolls also available at multiple cafes and outlets across the Limestone Coast.
