It may have been loss that prompted Sebina Bastion and her mum Kim White to team up in business, but 10 years later, Bacon Station has become a precious part of their lives.
Every Saturday, they fill the Nelson Market with the aroma of bacon, working beneath their logo featuring the tail end of a pig to produce their gourmet barbecue buns.
It began as a way to move forward after losing their father and husband to a battle with bowel cancer.
The family of five had immigrated from Wales in 1996, travelled the country and settled in Richmond, where Sebina says her father, Duncan, enjoyed his fitness – running a couple of Buller half marathons with her over the years.
After he was diagnosed with cancer, Sebina moved back home from Westport with her young son to help care for him and then her husband Pete left his job to help care for the family.
Her father died two days before her 30th birthday and three weeks before her second child was born, which had been a planned pregnancy in the hope Duncan would meet his next grandchild.
Dealing with his loss and no income, Kim suggested they needed something new to help them move forward, like a business.
“It was such a poignant time in our lives, where things had changed so significantly,” Sebina remembers. “We both probably started Bacon Station for each other!
“It’s really special working with mum. We trust each other and have our own roles – it doesn’t run without mum. Mum IS Bacon Station!”
Choosing bacon was easy – no one else was doing anything specifically with bacon, and the entire family loved bacon.
They started off erecting a gazebo and hauling out a heavy barbecue at each market or event, but have progressed to a food cart, which made life much easier. “Lovely” regular staff rotate each weekend, and so does Sebina.
Today, she is a teacher at Richmond Primary and Kim does casual work during the week, but come Saturday, and summer festivals, they head out with their food cart, fire up the barbecue and fill the air with the smell of bacon.
“You can smell it a mile away! We always know who the first customer is going to be and know the regulars. You might not know their names, but you know their orders.”
Coming from Britain, HP sauce is on the menu, especially in the classic British Buttie, but the range caters for more diverse tastes and needs.
“It’s been such a family affair, from coming up with the idea to the logo. I know my dad would have loved to have seen Bacon Station and seeing us doing it together.”
The team is celebrating their 10-year anniversary at the market this Saturday, surrounded by the aroma of bacon.
