Mummy’s Yummys
Meet {Outstanding} Makers Ann-Marie and Darren Nicholas who have turned their humble garage into Mummys Yummys award-winning cookie haven. A multi-year, multi-medal winner, in 2024 Mummy’s Yummys clinched gold at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, solidifying their status as one of New Zealand’s premier biscuit barons.
An early morning stroll through charming Browns Bay heralds many potential pleasantries. The crisp scent of morning air, the shimmering waters of the Hauraki. Perhaps a silhouetted Rangitoto, warming to life under another brilliant Auckland sunrise.
But for over ten years, another assault to the senses has greeted the suburb’s many morning risers. This, a rather sweet surprise, the tummy-rumbling aroma of quality hand-baked goods.
Who could be baking at such an hour in such a place?
After a first whiff, the morning walker follows their nose. Across the road, down the street, a sharp turn into an unassuming driveway. Could this be the place? But how? A now frenzied dog tugs at their lead. The surprising scent is growing stronger. Finally, you reach the source of all this sweet mystery: the roller door of a suburban garage.
For over a decade, one of the country's premier biscuit barons quietly kneaded, rolled, and baked from this unassuming HQ. Ann-Marie Nicholas and, after time, her husband Darren became purveyors of passion and family tradition, building an award-winning cookie company on the simple joy of a home-baked treat. In 2024, Mummy’s Yummys ChocChip Shortbread won gold at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, adding to three Bronze medals in 2022 for their Coconut Creams, Lemon Moments, and Nan's Jammy Tarts.
“We make the product, getting the ingredients from scratch,” says Ann-Marie. Every biscuit is hand-rolled, and we’re proud of that.”
Although the ingredients list might be simple, transforming traditional home recipes into award-winning, signature products is anything but. Fifteen years of early mornings and many weekend markets. A worldwide pandemic and ever-rising costs.
So, how does an ambitious home baker armed only with a humble family cookbook go from garage to gold?
Ann-Marie grew up surrounded by the warmth of her mother's oven. Although not a baker's apprentice or food professional, her mother was “drawn from passion". For many years, only a privileged few had experienced the family secrets. In 2009, Ann-Marie noticed a niche for ”good-old-fashioned baking, warm like grandparents and parents used to do." She knew people were looking for something that tasted more homemade. Something without the preservatives and extras added to maintain a long shelf life. It made sense to introduce the public to those sweet memories. To share with New Zealand what she knew best. But baking bikkies on a big scale would require more than a favourite mixing bowl and wooden spoon. Ann-Marie needed to experiment, scour through her mum’s book of yums, and work on some initial offerings.
The first step was to hire kitchen space. From there, she devised two initial products and sold these at local weekend markets. On these busy Saturdays and Sundays, the Mummy’s Yummys legacy began.
“Whenever they taste it, people say, ‘Oh my goodness, we can taste that love and that difference.”
Locals were raving; demand was now there. However, hiring a kitchen whenever it was time to bake had its limitations. Ann-Marie needed her own space to experiment further and make more cookies. Around this time, a business mentor suggested that the Nicholas's garage might make a good commercial kitchen. The idea seemed almost folly at first. But only two years later, the Nicholas’s did just that—they converted their home garage into a certified, A-grade kitchen.
From her own, albeit alternative, HQ, Ann-Marie sought to produce more products to fit the artisan market. Two cookies became nine; her range grew with her reputation—more hours of research and development and countless local markets. First working tirelessly as a “one-armed bandit”, then her husband Darren joined the cause. Two years ago, the wife and husband team took the final commercial leap by upsizing into a purpose-fitted premise in Albany (much to the imagined dismay of those Brown’s Bay morning walkers).
Today, Mummy’s Yummys boast a team of nine, seven in the production area, baking and making, and two brand ambassadors. They ship 14 signature offerings nationwide and line the sparkling shelves of Farro Fresh supermarkets across Auckland. The company's cookies, a delightful blend of wholesome ingredients and irresistible flavour, are now a classic.
"All of our products are handmade using awesome old-fashioned recipes that include butter and sugar," says Ann-Marie. "We use no preservatives, and everything's made to order, always providing freshness. We are proud that our products look and taste homemade with natural flavour and texture.“
But the journey from hired kitchens to now has been far from a simple Sunday afternoon bake. Besides the hoops and loops of the garage conversion and the recent realisation of a purpose-fitted premise, there was also that pandemic. But like many other success stories we showcase, this gold medal producer once again proved adversity can be baked into opportunity. During these uncertain times, the Mummy’s Yummys home-style cookies offered comfort and solace to a concerned community, further fuelling company growth.
“People wanted something sweet, comforting, and homely,” Ann-Marie says. “While we grew, we continued to have that same excellent quality of product going out, and that would be one of our points of difference.“
However, such an uncompromising commitment to quality can be burdensome, and Anne-Marie highlights the challenges of keeping recipes and products authentic;
"The Majority of the ingredients are from New Zealand. One of the difficulties of the COVID period is availability. Cost is another big hurdle… increasing costs and inconsistencies in the availability of ingredients.“
Yet, she quickly points out that these challenges are not met without a dedicated team behind her and Darren, and the company would be nothing without the Mummy's Yummys family. They are simply “the best”.
With a growing business and a growing collection of awards, it's clear that Ann-Marie, Darren, and the team’s commitment to quality and tradition resonates with consumers and critics alike. Sometimes, the most delicious dreams start in a home kitchen; in this case, there’s proof in the cookies.
So, with their new premise in full swing, an established team working hard and another triumph at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, what's in the oven?
These years of upscaling have been demanding, and some long-time customers might have noticed it's been a while between bites. Ann-Marie admits it’s been long since their last addition to the Mummy’s Yummys line. But she’s excited to announce three new products on the way.
So, keep those noses to the ground and that dog on the lead. More than a few morsels of homemade magic are nearly ready to be pinched from the countertop before they’re not quite cool. Learn more or place your order through Mummys Yummys website.