Behind Breadhead are Kate and Brent Beamish, hospitality veterans in the Tauranga area and owners of the bakery. Its inception lays in Brent’s passion for sourdough and pastry as much as their desire to lift the quality of the bread they could source at their previous venture, Love, Rosie. Now 5 years into serving the local community, Kate and Brent have decided to offer a whole dine-in experience to their customers, taking over the adjacent tenancy and renovating their space to welcome extra sitting and a coffee machine.
On a beautiful autumnal Saturday morning, the unassuming building, located in a formerly industrial part of Tauranga, is heaving, with a line of customers quickly sprawling outside the front door. Once we cross the threshold, the unmistakable smell of warm crumb hits, supported by the striking visual of rows of sourdough, baguettes and loafs on the back wall, and colourful fruity pastries in the cabinet. There’s a full hive activating behind the counter, Melissa welcoming us with a radiant smile while another 5 staff members carefully cross paths, grabbing the goods, putting payments through, and carefully extracting our flagship espresso blend, Veloce.
The sunlight pours from the French windows and illuminate the vast but cozy interior, the communal table carefully placed at its center, a reminder maybe of the intent behind the space: creating a hub for the local community. There is definitely a hum in the air, the backing track to the sound of crunching and indistinct chatter.
Even when busy, there is an effortless flow between the bread-making area at the back and the customer facing counter at the front, with trays filled with warm breads continuously rolling out, awaiting to replenish the counters. A mountain of bags full of pre-orders reminds us of the strong following Breadhead has created in the past 5 years.
Marmite scroll in one hand, long black in the other, we’re loving the pit stop and already eagerly awaiting the next visit. Don’t snooze on that one.
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday: 7am-3pm
Saturday: 7am - 2:30pm
Sunday: CLOSED
Follow them on instagram @breadheadnz or visit their website.