ANDREW and Susan Horwood have come a long way since they first started selling baked goods from a humble Nairne kitchen in 1996.
When their initial batch of nut loaves - back then featuring simple hand-written labels - sold out in one day, the couple realised they were onto something.
Their Emmaline's Country Kitchen business outgrew several premises before finally settling into the heritage-listed Woollen Mills in Lobethal, where a team of about 60 staff work to produce dozens of different products that range from iced bar cakes to muffins.
According to Mr Horwood, the family-run business - their son Simon is also on board - works hard to remain true to their roots as they grow larger.
"We realise we have a winning formula, so the aim is to make the product as if it came out of your mother's kitchen, we want to make sure that's what's happening regardless of whether it is one cake we're baking or 20,000 cakes," he said.
That formula involves keeping things as authentic as possible by using butter instead of margarine, eggs instead of egg powder, and shunning the use of premixes.
The booming business impressed the state government so much Emmaline's Country Kitchen was awarded a $59,000 grant to help facilitate further expansion.
Drawn from the $15 million Regional Development Fund, the grant helped fund the installation of a blast freezer and storage freezer along with associated electrical work.
Mr Horwood said the blast freezer would freeze 1000 cakes direct from the oven to minus 18C degrees in less than two hours.
Regional Development Minister Geoff Brock said installation of the new equipment would open up opportunities for the company by ensuring product quality and a longer shelf life.
"Increasing the company's business capability and capacity will have a flow-on effect to the Adelaide Hills community making this project - with a total investment of $128,590 - really valuable to the region," he said.
"Twelve new jobs will be created over four years to help the company realise its potential in supplying interstate and international markets - a great example of a regional business driving the state government's economic priority of producing premium food and wine from our clean environment and exporting to the world."
Mr Horwood confirmed the company was setting its sights further afield, after successfully entrenching themselves into the Vic market in the past decade.