As some of you may know Laucke Wallaby is my prefered flour. I normally buy it from Coles, but on visiting the supermarket today there was not only none on the shelves, but the space where it usually is was taken by another product. I did find two 5Kg packets on the clearance table, still with 12 months to the use by date.
On enquiring with the checkout lady she said this would be because they were no longer going to stock this item.
I was prepared to have some words with the head office over this matter, but decided to do some homework first.
On Coles website under products there was a little notice to the effect that "If an item that is a readily available product is not on the shelves, then the Store Manager will stock the item at a client's request", we'll see how my request goes next Friday.
This may be of help to those who are finding it hard to get this flour.
Replies
Bill,
If it helps someone who probably earns around $8/hour to feel better, you've got to take pity on them!
I will be hunting wallaby this weekend ... look out!!!
Carol.
Hey Bill (and others) ...
Laucke Wallaby has disappeared from Coles Glendale, and Coles Warners Bay never stocked it. I noticed today that Glendale has a 'new' Tip Top flour called Kitchen Collection "High Grade Flour - ideal for breads, rolls, pastries and pasta". Unbleached, in 1.2kg yellow paper bag. 11.0g protein. On the side it lists four flour types (high grade, plain, self-raising, organic) and what each is used for. About the High Grade it says, "A stronger, higher grade of flour compared to plain flour...."
I bought a bag in despair of the fact that the slot that used to have Wallaby has been given over to other Laucke mixes. I will make scones on the weekend and stuff my face with jam and cream.
But as I know bugger all about anything, it might be good if one of you clever folks (BILL!) tried a bag and let the rest of us know what you think of it. I would also like a critique of the loaf of the front of the bag from Bill, Dom, etc ... for a giggle!
Or do you think that it's probably just not worth trying?
I will, however, stalk my local BiLo (good lord I hate that store), to see if they have got Wallaby. If so, I will have to change my opinion of them!
Carol.
Hi souryummum
I've tried that flour before in some yeast doughs it was ok wouldn't be my greatest flour of choice.
I've discovered Bilos here in south Brisbane have none in stock now and are not sure when there will be another deliverery.
Get on the phone to the coles manager and ask when will you get some in... Better yet ask a few friends/family to call Coles and ask for Laucke Wallaby flour.
Cheers Normbake
i must be in lucky area because after cleaning both stores, coles and bi-lo, few days ago they restocked and now there is lots more again, not sure if i'm going to clean them up or not as i got 6x5KG as it is
Just rang Glendale ... not stocking it.
I have just emailed Laucke with a link to this forum and asked them for their advice/assistance.
So hopefully, someone from Laucke will pop in and tell us what's going on!
[quote="SourYumMum"]
Bill,If it helps someone who probably earns around $8/hour to feel better, you've got to take pity on them!I will be hunting wallaby this weekend ... look out!!!Carol.
[/quote]
Carol, if that were the case then I would have been very polite, the person in question was the assistant Manager, 2IC of the whole store! It was the very young Grocery Manager who got the flour in less than 48 hours.
Well last Friday the assistant mgr at my local Coles said he would look into the matter and phone me on Mon or Tue. Of course he didn't, and he wasn't on duty today so I left a written message for him. He has until Monday night to contact me or I go straight to head office. I intend to hold them to the words on their website regarding stocking a requested product, especially as it was replaced with a lower grade product, and at a higher price too I might add.
Love the avatar Carol.
Isn't it funny? I use it in another forum as well (ranting raving political blog belonging to a fabulous writer) ... it always causes a giggle.
I just sent my husband up to BiLo at Mt Hutton for their very last bag of Wallaby. I'm hoping they will keep stocking it.
I'm also hoping the Laucke folk will respond to us. I have invited them to come give us some feedback on availability.
Bill ... my dad calles them 'ties' - as in when you need something attended to when you're in a supermarket, you look for a 'tie' (someone wearing a tie)!
I think he finds shopping a bit of a blood sport!
I think between Kaza and myself, we should be keeping the interest up at BiLo, anyway!
ROFL! Did you take that pic, Carol? You sure do drive critters wild!
Hi TP ... sadly, no ... I pinched it! But it gives me warm fuzzy memories of hand-feeding calves when I was little!
Now, back to the business of flour.
Here is the response I received from Sam Laucke:
[quote]
Dear Carol,
Thank you very much for your email, and what an excellent web site you have.
I have good news and bad news in regards to Wallaby Bakers
The bad news.
Wallaby Bakers, due to a business decision within Coles/Bilo has been
regraded to a lower grade, that means that it is unfortunately not available
in as many store as it used to be, which is a pity because Sales of our
product were very good. I believe it has now been replaced by Defiance flour
in these particular stores.
The good news.
It is still available in some of the bigger stores, and it is available from
their State Warehouses, and sometimes can be ordered in by the Store or
Grocery Manager even when it is not graded for his/her store.
Lauckes would love to have it available in all stores again, but our hands
are tied somewhat. The other good thing to note is that Coles/Bilo still
listen's to their customers, and all Coles/Bilo stores have a request form's
that can be filled out requesting the product back into the store.
We the suppliers do not have this power, as they think we are being
obviously bias.
I will check to see where there is a store that is closes to you that may
stock our Wallaby Bakers, in the interim, the Coles/Bilo Wallaby Bakers code
number is 4418990, and this is the number that the Store/Grocery Manager
will need if he is willing to get the product in for you.
Lauckes will continue to push to have Wallaby Bakers regraded again, but
this time to a better grade.
Kind Regards,
Sam Laucke.
Laucke Flour Mills
[/quote] [/i]
So there you go. I have asked him if there is some way the sourdough.com.au members can assist.
Would you all be prepared to help with a little email or letter-writing if they think it would help?
Carol
Spoke with the assistant Manager at my local Coles store today. Explained why Laucke Wallaby at 11.5% was superior to Defiance at 11%. He will make endeavours to get the Laucke back in stock. He said the 5Kg bags of anything, pre-mixes included, were slow movers anyway so he didn't mind changing back. Promised to phone me with feedback on Mon or Tue.
[quote="SourYumMum"]
I just sent my husband up to BiLo at Mt Hutton for their very last bag of Wallaby. I'm hoping they will keep stocking it.
[/quote]
Get your hands off my supply, I'm usually responsible for keeping Mt Hutton out of stock of Wallaby. There are a few other places it can be had and I'm not telling
You are pure weevil, KazaKhan!
Sharing is good for your soul!
Bill I was at Coles on Wednesday and the lady who was stacking the shelves said that a lot of 500grm prebread mixes move off the shelves mainly during these winter months. The 5kg flour bags move a bit slower but did not know if they are going keep to keep them on the shelf, there was no manager that day at a meeting she told me. I will go and see the store manager in the next few days.
Do you have or can somebody recommend Dan Lepards "The handmade loaf" book is it worth buying it, it's $50 dollars here in Brisbane.
Normbake
I don't have it mate, but I have heard other people speak highly of it. May be best to get an opinion from one who does.
Normbake,
I would buy it even it were $200!
it is pure gold
none of my other baking books come close.
cheers
Dom
Beautiful book....written with much love for bread, in the recipes/instructions and photos (taken by Dan himself). Some of the recipes I've tried include:
Simple Milk Loaf - good bread with medium density. A million times better than Wonderbread.
Cassis and Currant Loaf - another winner.
Quick White Loaf - Interesting with millet flakes in it.
Rolled Oat and apple Bread - Very moist (for days) and truly yummy.
Raisin and Cinnamon Loaf - Lovely. Dan even has a step-by-step pictorial in his forum as a couple of us had the problem of the raisins burning/becoming too hard from the baking.
Chelsea Buns - Perfect! Now, if only one can get the dough to be as thin as [url=http://www.fitzbillies.co.uk/v2/index.php]Fitzbillies[/url]
Lemon Barley Cob - Soft and Yummy
Garlic Dumplings - Taste like baos...but better!
Rosemary and fresh cheese sticks - Really crispy and addictive
Oh...Jack's oven and breads are featured in pgs 160-2. There are so many recipes in there calling out to be made....
Hmmm. Based on the comments I think I should be dropping some less than subtle hints to SWMBO. I have a B'day coming up in July.
Thank you people for recommending the book I will go and have a look at it at the bookshop when it arrives.
I'm trying to formulate a bread recipe with rye, cracked wheat, linseed white flour and wholemeal first & second attempts total disasters but am having more luck as I keep trying. Leaving notes all over the kitchen bench driving wife to brink of madness...!
But will get there sometime have a good weekend.
Happy doughmaking
Normbake
Latest update. Just been up to see my local Coles manager, explained the situation to date, she called up the second in charge and blasted him for not getting back to me. On the spot she made enquirys and the flour will be back in stock at Lakehaven store by the end of the week if not sooner.
So if you want Laucke Wallaby flour, go to your local store and deal with the manager, don't take no for an answer, stocking at a customers request is Coles policy and the product is available in their warehouses.
Give'm hell mate!
Jeremy
Very good! I love a good barney! Did she 'go the biff' Bill?
I will speak to my local manager (who will probably be aged 13) and inform them of their customer service policy!
Carol, she didn't exactly go the biff but her atitude was a bit haughty. She said, in a rather condescending tone, that they used Defiance flour for their in-store bread baking and found it satisfactory, I replied that the single loaf of their bread that I purchased each week was for the sole purpose of feeding the wild birds that visit my backyard, and that my tastes were a little more discerning. I think she would have liked to hit me.
And did you ask her exactly what her qualifications are and how much she knows about baking?
I had a problem with Optusnet a few weeks ago which was all of their own making ... but it took me a few good phone calls - which increased in pitch each time - before they backed off and gave in!
Maybe Sam Laucke can flog his flour through the website!
Err...I gather 'go the biff' is something along the lines of 'spit the dummy'? Ooo....I'm really in awe of you people; you're such champion of rights. If only I've half the talent....
[quote="TeckPoh"]
Err...I gather 'go the biff' is something along the lines of 'spit the dummy'? Ooo....I'm really in awe of you people; you're such champion of rights. If only I've half the talent....
[/quote]
No Not quite TP. Spit the dummy refers to having a temper tantrum. "Go the biff" means to have an argument. To "biff" someone means to hit them, Carol was refering to the non-physical type of argument due to the fact that the other party was female,it's all a matter of context.
I found that when I was living in the Philippines I had to be very careful to speak "English" rather than "Australian", and to slow down the speed. It was very easy for two Aussies to have a conversation in front of a Filipino and have them firmly convinced that we were speaking a foreign language which they had no chance of understanding.
[quote="Bill44"]
I found that when I was living in the Philippines I had to be very careful to speak "English" rather than "Australian", and to slow down the speed. It was very easy for two Aussies to have a conversation in front of a Filipino and have them firmly convinced that we were speaking a foreign language which they had no chance of understanding.
[/quote]
LOL, wull....no worries about speed here and, yet, it's still a foreign language to me! More, please. I think I've more or less assimilated American slang...now for Aussie. Tks for the explanation, Bill.
Hi there fellow bakers. I've been reading the forum for a while now and have found some really usefull information. I've just become a registered member and this is my first post. Just in reply to the Laucke Wallaby Flour. I live in Melbourne and I have bought this flour at BiLo in the 5kg bags. I haven't had a chance to bake a loaf with this flour yet but I hear that it's highly recommended. Another tip on getting good flour is to just go to your local Bakery and buy some. For a while now I have been using White Wings which is 11% and experimented with a few other cheap brands as well. After recently using flour bought from a bakery I'll never go back to enything less. Yes, they all made a loaf of bread but there is a noticeable difference to using a bakers' flour which I'm lead to beleive should be around 12%
just baked my bread for the first time with Wallaby flour and man what a difference, my family always loved my bread but Wallaby flour made it x10 times better.
the smell, the texture, the softness and the taste was like nothing else before.
same recipe just used Wallaby flour instead of tip top "high grade"
got 2x5Kg from bi-lo and later on i seen coles had some too so will buy all they got today
Wow! What a testimony!
Hey croc,
Now you know why the rest of us get all feisty when we can't get our Wallaby fix!
Carol
You tell em Bill. What product replaced it?
Maedi, the worst part is they didn't replace it with anything. Woolworths has Defiance in 5Kg bags but it is only 11% protein.
I'll have a talk with the manager at Coles and see how good their claim of stocking at a customer's request is.
I will ask Coles here in South Brisbane as well Bill, I use that same flour also.
Bilo have just started stocking it. sign underneath flour says new product. I brought my 5 kg bag from there on Thursday
Bilo is another part of Coles/Meyer empire.
Great Prooving box Bill, I wish I lived near you I would be at your place all the time
cheers Normbake
Went looking for this flour this afternoon, and they had lots of kits for bread makers but all the flour and manual kits were sold out
The on going saga of the flour battle. Went to my local Coles this morning and gues what. No Wallaby flour.
So I did my normal shop which is about $200.00, and a lot of it is usually fancy stuff, and then I asked to see whoever was in charge of the flour section. This time I got the grocery manager, who was very polite while I explained the situation. I also explained to him that I walked right past Woolworths to get to Coles. I also pointed out the fact that if only 100 people took their average family shop elswhere because of the lack of Wallaby, also notifying him about the sourdough movement in Aus, that it would only represent about 2 million dollars per year that Coles were not getting.
All the while we were talking he was looking at the contents of my trolley. He said that by the time I had been through the checkout he would have an answer from me.
The answer was that absolutely no attempt had been made to restock the flour, that it was available on 1 day call, and it would be in store on Sat night and on the shelves at opening of the store on Sunday morning. He also stated that if the first person I saw had done their job it would have been in store no more than 48 hours after I requested it.
Should it not be in store on Sunday, the next stage of the battle is a letter to head office from one of my brothers-in-law who owns quite a few shares in Coles. I like to give people a chance but I have trouble with my digestion when people feed me bullshit, and that makes me mad. Excuse the french.
Bill,
That's disgraceful. I think you should be compiling your posts from the forum and sending Coles head office management a big, fat complaint.
AND ... I would be making sure that Sam Laucke gets a copy so that the Laucke board can see just how badly Coles are treating them!
AND ... maybe even cc it to Roger Corbett or whatever his name is, the CEO of Woolworths!
It is very, very ordinary indeed. Unfortunately (or not), I still have one and a half bags, so it will be quite a while before I have to go and order it. But I am looking forward to the challenge.
Please speak up to these fools. It gives me the irrits for a number of reasons, the main one being that they have a so-called POLICY of obtaining special orders.
Two, they've behaved in terrible customer service (rather - no customer service) and just plain lied to you.
Thirdly, Laucke is an Australian family-owned company. We need to support these people and not give in to our tastes being decided by enormous, impersonal supermarket chains.
Geez this makes me cranky!
You should have told the grocery manager that he could stick his trolley full of groceries and that you would like a full refund. He could have then spent the night putting everything back.
Why don't you just order direct? Or grow your own wheat and mill it?
Nyuck-Nyuck! Sounds like a thread from my tenants association! Are these Coles and woolworth related to Walmart? If they are your in trouble!
Jeremy
Probably.
They are evil.
I still think Graham should offer Laucke stuff through the shop.
[quote="SourYumMum"]
I still think Graham should offer Laucke stuff through the shop.
[/quote]
I think freight would be the killer, I go through about 15Kg-20Kg of bakers flour a month, plus rye, wholemeal, and low protein white.
Haleluya Just bought 2 x 5Kg Wallaby from the local Coles. Hope they have more stock, I cleared the shelf.
I found where they are hording Wallaby. Its all in this shop called Peter Van the Party Man in Adelaide! 25kg bags for $13.55. I wish I knew that before scampering through half a dozen Coles and Bilo (rest his soul) stores. yesssssss.
for anyone in melbourne area, there is shop on greens rd in dandenong (called hindus importers or something like this) they have 10KG and 25KG laucke flour, they good few different types, organic one was 12.4% proteins.
this store rocks
very very cheap too, normal 11.5% was 7$ for 10KG so this is half price compared to coles 5KG bags.
the organic one in 25KG was 29$ if remember well which is still cheaper than coles and higher protein level
they also got all trditional flours for mid-east/indian baking
great shop and tones of other goodies, got 500gr cans of very nice curry for 5$, cooked curry with it last night and was really nice the power is real curry and unlike one i used to buy from safeway that most of it was tumaric.
for any curry lovers out there next time you cook it add flat tblspoon of sugger and sprinkle with white vinegra (don't over do the vinegra, 1 or max 2 tbl spoons)
make curry so much better.
Had a laugh yesterday, the very first person I aproached at Coles about getting Wallaby back in phoned me to tell me that [b]he[/b] had managed to get it in for me and it had been on the shelves for [b]two[/b] days.
I less than politely informed him that he was trying to claim credit for the work of someone else and that the flour had been back in store for [b]nine[/b] days, no thanks to either him or the store manager.
That's Hindustan Imports - "Specialists in International Groceries"
Also sell online although shipping will hurt.
Website: http://www.hindustan.com.au/
Address: 50 Greens Rd, Dandenong South VIC 3175
Phone:(03) 9794 6640
Perhaps Sam Lauke could provide a list of suppliers of his products in the different states and we could support those that support and stock Laukes Flours and yes always happy to support the smaller operators rather than the big two!
Hello,
Does anyone know if the Wallaby Bakers flour is bleached?