Bellbird Baked Goods is an artisan bakery based in Christchurch, New Zealand, specialising in sourdough bread and authentic French viennoiserie. The business was founded in 2010 by Jeremy MacCormack, who returned to Christchurch with the conviction that the city deserved better bread and pastry. He began baking sourdough in a homemade backyard oven, bartering loaves with neighbours before moving into French pastries — croissants, Danishes — and taking them to the Deans Bush and Opawa farmers' markets on weekends. What began in a backyard has grown into one of Christchurch's most-loved artisan food businesses.
In 2012, Bellbird moved into the restored Tannery complex in Woolston, opening a bakery/café there alongside another business. In 2021 a second retail space followed at Riverside Market in the heart of the city. The newest location opened in 2025 on Holmwood Road in Merivale, where the full range of breads and pastries is joined by sandwiches and barista-made coffee.
All bread is made with certified NZ Grown Grains sourced from within the Canterbury region, using traditional techniques and long fermentation. Croissants are baked fresh every morning for properly flaky, layered results. The chocolate used in the pain au chocolat and Boozy Salted Caramel Brownies is Weave Cacao — sourced from Papua New Guinea through a supply chain the brand describes as fair and transparent. The fruit loaf is made with spray-free Pioneer flour and organic rye, filled with dates, apricots, and blackcurrants. Seasonal items include the galette des rois in January (housemade puff pastry, almond frangipane) and hot cross buns at Easter (pack of six, gently spiced, generously filled with fruit).
Bellbird's values centre on excellence, sustainability, and social responsibility. Ingredients are sourced locally and organically wherever possible. Packaging use is minimised, waste is composted or recycled, and unsold bread is distributed to the community. Employees are treated as a genuine priority and cycling to work is actively encouraged. Wholesale supply and online ordering are both available, and newsletter subscribers receive 10% off their first online order. The business also attends two weekend farmers' markets in Christchurch.
Bellbird Baked Goods is one of Christchurch's most-loved artisan bakeries, built from a genuinely unusual starting point: a homemade oven in a backyard and a conviction that the city deserved better bread. Owner Jeremy MacCormack had worked in bakeries in New Zealand and abroad before returning to Christchurch in 2010 with the sense that something was missing. He began baking sourdough at home, bartering loaves with neighbours, then moved into French viennoiserie — croissants, Danishes — and took everything to the Deans Bush and Opawa farmers' markets on weekends.
Demand grew steadily, and in 2012 Bellbird moved into the newly restored Tannery complex in Woolston, opening a small bakery/café called Tanner Street Bakery alongside another business. Six years later, Bellbird had outgrown that space and moved to a new spot at the other end of the Tannery boardwalk — where the main Tannery store still operates today. A second retail location opened at Riverside Market in the city centre in 2021. In 2025, the newest shop opened on Holmwood Road in Merivale, adding sandwiches and barista-made coffee to the usual range of breads and pastries.
The bakery specialises in sourdough bread and authentic French viennoiserie. All bread is made with certified NZ Grown Grains sourced from within the Canterbury region, using traditional techniques and long fermentation. The Waitaha Loaves and French baguettes are baked fresh every morning. The fruit loaf — made with spray-free Pioneer flour, organic rye, dates, apricots, and blackcurrants — has become a winter favourite.
On the pastry side, croissants are baked fresh every morning for properly layered, flaky results. The range includes plain croissants, almond croissants, cheese and jalapeño croissants (béchamel, melted cheese, a kick of jalapeño), pain au chocolat made with Weave Cacao chocolate from Papua New Guinea, and cheese and chilli scrolls. Boozy Salted Caramel Brownies also use Weave Cacao. Lemon and berry friands are a recent addition — soft, zingy, and packed with berries.
Seasonal highlights include the galette des rois in January — made with housemade puff pastry and rich almond frangipane, available by the slice in-store or as a whole galette online — and hot cross buns at Easter, gently spiced and generously filled with fruit, sold in packs of six.
Bellbird's approach is shaped by three stated values: excellence, sustainability, and social responsibility. Ingredients are sourced locally and organically wherever possible. Packaging use is kept to a minimum, waste is composted or recycled, and unsold bread is distributed to people in need in the community. Employees are treated as a priority, and the team actively encourages cycling to work.
Beyond the three retail locations, Bellbird supplies a selection of retailers, cafés, and restaurants around Christchurch and appears at two weekend farmers' markets in the city. Online ordering is available through the website, with wholesale supply also offered. Newsletter subscribers receive 10% off their first online order.