Pettigrew Bakeries has opened the doors to its new 5,500 sq ft bakery headquarters and café, marking the biggest investment in the family-run business since it was founded more than a decade ago.
The new ‘Breadquarters’, at Design Quarter on Colchester Avenue in Penylan, brings Pettigrew’s team of bakers together under one roof for the first time, in a purpose-built bakery designed to increase production while improving working conditions for its growing team.
Representing a significant six-figure, privately funded investment in the future of the independent business, the new site also includes a 25 cover café where customers can eat and drink with a direct view into the working bakery.
The move gives Pettigrew the capacity to at least double production across the business – and in some areas, increase it even further.
Around 3,000 of Pettigrew’s signature Welsh cakes are currently made by hand each week, with the new bakery providing capacity to increase this to around 5,000. Thousands of loaves of its classic house sourdough are also produced by hand every week, with new temperature-controlled walk-in facilities providing the potential to increase sourdough production by as much as five times.
Around 3,000 individual baked products currently leave the bakery every day, supplying Pettigrew’s five Cardiff shops as well as a select number of local restaurants and chefs.
The new Breadquarters has been designed from scratch around the needs of the bakery team, with new ovens, mixers, temperature-controlled spaces and other equipment intended to make production more efficient without removing the hands-on skills and traditional techniques at the heart of Pettigrew’s business.
A team of around eight bakers will initially work from the new site each day, eventually rising to 14 as the full team moves in.
And while customers enjoy breakfast, lunch, coffee and pastries in the adjoining café, they will be able to watch them at work through a large ‘theatre-style’ window into the bakery.
Pettigrew’s bakers begin work from as early as 1am (with the first person through the door earning the right to choose the day’s music) – so customers visiting between 9am and 1pm will see much of the bakery’s daytime activity taking place.
Attention to detail
Founder and owner David Le Masurier said: “Breadquarters really is the culmination of everything we’ve learned over the past decade, and even further back with the Tea Rooms.
“We wanted to forget compromise. We reject the idea that a space must be either purely functional or beautifully useless. We wanted to find the third way – a design that does both, with Pettigrew style.
“We have given a lot of thought to every detail. It is practical and designed around the people who work here, but there’s also a bit of fun, a lot of love and a proper demonstration of skill.
“More than anything, I’m incredibly proud that we’ve managed to pull this thing off.”
Centralising production also means Pettigrew will no longer need to operate duplicate bakery facilities or transport ingredients between production sites across the city.
The business estimates the move could reduce its overall carbon footprint by approximately 25–30 per cent through reduced energy requirements and more streamlined logistics, with ingredients now able to arrive by the pallet directly into a dedicated dispatch and storage area.
David added: “This isn’t about taking the craft out of what we do. The investment in equipment and technology is there to support our bakers to remain hands-on, highly skilled craftspeople.
“Bringing everyone together also gives us opportunities for much more collaborative working, teamwork and cross-training. Ultimately, it gives us more time and space to implement the ideas we have and unleash the potential of an incredibly skilled team.”
A decade of growth
The move comes after more than a decade of growth for Pettigrew, which began with Pettigrew Tea Rooms in Bute Park before evolving into neighbourhood craft bakeries across Cardiff.
Today the business operates five shops across the city, including its original bakery in Victoria Park, alongside sites in Roath, Rhiwbina and the city centre (Castle Arcade), as well as trading at three weekly farmers markets in Rhwbina, Roath and Riverside.
Breadquarters will become the engine room behind those shops, with the increased capacity ultimately expected to mean greater availability and potentially an expanded range for customers across Cardiff. There are also plans to further develop Pettigrew’s existing Victoria Park and Roath sites, although the team is keeping details under wraps for now.
Despite the significantly increased production capacity at Breadquarters – and an existing waiting list of potential wholesale customers – David says rapid expansion isn’t the objective.
Instead, after ten years of building the business, the investment is intended to give Pettigrew and its team the infrastructure to continue doing what they already do, better.
He said: “We want to carry on as we are – ambitious, confident and skilled, and able to bring a bit of craft, quality and joy to the people who choose to try our products.
“One of the biggest challenges of getting Breadquarters open has been the mental resilience it has taken, but throughout all of this we have been focused on securing the best possible future for our team.
“This gives our people better working conditions and a healthier, happier and more efficient space. It’s our bakery, but it’s also for our people and our family.
“We’ve spent ten years learning what works, what doesn’t, and what Pettigrew should be. Breadquarters is what happens when we finally put all that knowledge into one space.”
A bakery customers can visit
Breadquarters isn’t simply a production facility. The adjoining café will be open seven days a week, serving the breads, pastries, cakes and other products that are made just metres away.
The café has 35 indoor covers across tables, benches and perch seating, with an outdoor terrace also planned. From Monday 31st August, opening hours are 7.30am–3pm Monday to Saturday and 8am–2pm on Sundays.
Pettigrew Breadquarters is located at 5 Design Quarter, 5 Colchester Avenue, Penylan, Cardiff CF23 9XE.
