The Original Bread Company is a wholesale bakery in Hornby, Christchurch, producing a wide range of unique artisan-style breads, pastries, sweets and savoury foods for the cafe, restaurant, hotel and airline industries. Founded in 1992 by David Carrodus, it has remained a proud, family-run business ever since, growing from small beginnings into a trusted supplier of high-quality baked goods.
The team bakes across three ranges: crafted breads; pastries, muffins and scones; and cakes, biscuits and cafe slices. Think gourmet muffins in flavours like raspberry and white chocolate or blueberry, classic cheddar cheese scones, mushroom and cream cheese scrolls, assorted Danish pastries, and slices such as the raspberry lemon delice. Everything is pre-portioned to help clients save time and reduce waste.
While this is a trade bakery rather than a retail shop, its products reach tables nationwide through dedicated distribution partners, including Bidfood, whose MyBidfood platform serves food businesses of all sizes across New Zealand. The team prides itself on innovation, constantly developing new products with a point of difference, and welcomes enquiries from businesses wanting to discuss their needs, request samples or arrange a visit.
Since 1992, The Original Bread Company has been quietly stocking some of Christchurch's cafe cabinets, restaurant bread baskets and even airline meal trays. Founded by David Carrodus more than three decades ago, the Hornby bakery has remained a proud, family-run business ever since, growing from small beginnings into a trusted supplier of high-quality baked goods.
What sets this bakery apart is its clarity of purpose. This is a wholesale operation rather than a retail shop: its customers are the cafe, restaurant, hotel and airline industries — businesses that need baked goods with a point of difference, delivered consistently and ready to serve. From the premises on Edmonton Road, the skilled team produces a wide range of unique artisan-style breads, pastries, sweets and savoury foods, all pre-portioned to help clients save time and reduce waste.
That wholesale focus shapes the whole experience. There is no retail counter to queue at; instead, the relationship starts with a conversation — a phone call or email to discuss what your business needs, samples to try, and a team that will come to you. It is a model that has carried the bakery through more than thirty years of service to the hospitality industry.
The product range falls into three families. Crafted bread is the heart of the operation — artisan-style breads developed for hospitality kitchens.
Then there are the pastries, muffins and scones, arguably the most visible part of the range on cafe counters around the country. Gourmet muffins come in flavours such as raspberry and white chocolate and blueberry, with mini versions for smaller appetites and catering trays. Savoury options include full-size and mini savoury muffins, a mushroom and cream cheese scroll, and the ever-dependable classic cheddar cheese scone. Assorted Danish pastries round out the cabinet offerings.
The third family is cakes, biscuits and cafe slices. Recent releases include a raspberry lemon delice slice, the kind of sweet, tangy finish that gives a cafe cabinet a polished look. The team is constantly developing new ideas, so the latest products keep changing as fresh lines come out of the ovens. All of it arrives pre-portioned, which for a busy kitchen is the difference between a cabinet that fills itself and an afternoon lost to prep.
Everything about the business is geared towards its commercial customers. The range is designed to give menus what the team calls exciting quality products with an edge, and clients are invited to get in touch to discuss their needs, request samples and even arrange a visit — the bakery will call on you to help enhance your business.
Reaching customers is handled through dedicated distribution partners. Products are available nationwide across New Zealand, and food businesses can order the range online through MyBidfood, the platform of national wholesale distributor Bidfood, which services everyone from a small cafe through to the largest national operators.
Thirty-plus years on, The Original Bread Company still trades on the same combination that launched it: genuine craft in the bakery and genuine service for the people who sell its food. It remains family-run, with the founder's contact details still front and centre on the website, and its focus on innovation and quality continues to fuel growth and success.
For cafe owners, caterers and hoteliers in Christchurch or anywhere in New Zealand, it is the quiet engine behind many a scone, scroll and slice — a Hornby bakery whose work shows up everywhere except its own front counter.