Janus Bakkerij is one of Hutt Valley's leading cafes and bakeries, located at 700 High Street, Boulcott, Lower Hutt. The bakery traces its roots back to Joe Janus Senior, an award-winning pastry cook in his native Holland who moved to New Zealand in the 1950s and established Janus Bakery in Marton, introducing fine European baking traditions to the region — including, in the 1960s, being the first bakery in the country to produce sliced, wrapped bread.
Joseph and Angela Janus went on to own Janus Bakkerij in Lower Hutt for 25 years, before Jason and Arna Wnek became the new owners in mid-2022. Jason's connection to the bakery runs deep: he started in the dish room at Janus Bakkerij after school, completed his apprenticeship under Joe Janus, spent 10 years there before moving to London, and travelled Europe with Arna tasting traditional bakes before eventually taking over the business themselves. Jason and Arna also own and operate Fix Federation, a specialist bakehouse at Shop 5/79 High Street, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt. Between the two sites, they employ over 40 people.
Today, Janus offers daily fresh breads, pastries and sweets from the bakery, an in-house café menu, retail treats like biscuits, slices, cakes and meringues baked fresh on site, custom speciality cakes from Wellington's leading cake designers, and catering for events of any size.
Janus Bakkerij's story starts in Holland, where Joe Janus Senior was an award-winning pastry cook before moving to New Zealand in the 1950s. He established Janus Bakery in Marton, bringing fine European baking traditions to locals, and the Janus name soon became synonymous with quality fresh bread across the lower North Island. The bakery was also an innovator — in the 1960s, it became the first in the country to produce sliced, wrapped bread.
Joseph and Angela Janus carried the business forward, owning Janus Bakkerij in Lower Hutt as it's known today for 25 years. In mid-2022, Jason and Arna Wnek took over as the new owners — and for Jason, it was something of a homecoming. He started at Janus Bakkerij in the dish room after school, completed his apprenticeship under Joe Janus himself, and spent 10 years at the bakery before moving to London. He and Arna then travelled Europe, visiting bakeries wherever they went and tasting traditional bakes from different cultures, before eventually returning to New Zealand and taking the reins at Janus.
As Arna puts it: "It's been quite surreal thinking about Jason going from being an after school dish hand, to owning Janus Bakkerij. Between the two sites, we employ over 40 people in the Hutt. We are both incredibly proud of our team!" The two sites she's referring to are Janus Bakkerij itself, and Fix Federation, a specialist bakehouse Jason and Arna also created together, located at Shop 5/79 High Street, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt.
Janus Bakkerij describes itself as having something for everyone and every occasion. The bakery turns out daily fresh breads, pastries and sweets available in store, while the café serves its own in-house menu for those wanting to eat in. The retail side stocks beautifully packaged biscuits, slices, cakes, and meringues, all baked fresh on site — ideal for gifting or taking home.
For special occasions, Janus offers custom speciality cakes designed by what the bakery calls Wellington's leading cake designers, and the team also caters events of any size at what they describe as affordable prices. Pies can also be ordered directly through the online shop.
Janus Bakkerij is open Monday to Saturday from 7.30am to 4.00pm, and Sunday from 8.00am to 4.00pm. The bakery also opens on public holidays, with a 15% surcharge applying on those days. Table bookings are taken for larger groups, while smaller groups are seated on arrival.
The bakery's motto, drawn from its Dutch roots, sums up the spirit of the place: "smakelijk eten!" — enjoy your meal, in any language.
Janus Bakkerij is located at 700 High Street, Boulcott, Lower Hutt, and can be reached on 0800 4 JANUS or 04 577 3326, or by email at [email protected]. The team is also active on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.