Coupland's Bakeries Richmond brings one of New Zealand's best-known bakery names to Queen Street. Part of a proud family-owned business baking since 1971, Coupland's has grown into the country's largest independently owned bakery chain — two modern manufacturing facilities supporting a network of 25 locally run stores from the South Island up to Hamilton, Rotorua and Tauranga. The Richmond bakery is one of those locally run stores, carrying the company's simple motto: 'A promise. Made good.'
The cabinet covers the full Coupland's range: fresh bread baked daily, buns and rolls, slices and loaves in flavours like apricot & raisin, banana, butterscotch, coffee & walnut and date & orange, plus the classic mince & cheese pie that takes top billing on the chain's website alongside a pie-award banner. Sweet-toothed visitors will find a dedicated donut range, jumbo cookies and family-bag biscuits, cakes and muffins, pastry goods, a dessert range and chilled treats, pizzas and garlic breads, savoury meals and a gluten-free category.
Beyond the counter, gifting is covered with iced fruit cakes in 1kg and 250g giftboxes and gift vouchers, while the wider business runs catering and fundraising programmes and an online store offering click & collect and click & ship. True to the brand's people-first ethos, what's meant to stand out is the team — friendly in-store staff and the talented bakers behind the scenes, whose care and consistency the company credits for its place in Kiwi homes nationwide.
On Queen Street in Richmond, near Nelson, Coupland's Bakeries turns out the kind of honest, everyday baking that has made the name a fixture in Kiwi homes. The motto says it simply: 'A promise. Made good.' Since 1971 that promise has meant quality baking made convenient and accessible for every Kiwi — and the Richmond shop is one of 25 locally run bakeries carrying it on across the country.
Coupland's began as a family bakery in 1971 and has grown into New Zealand's largest independently owned bakery chain, pairing two modern manufacturing facilities with a network of 25 locally run stores spread throughout the South Island and up to Hamilton, Rotorua and Tauranga. Each store is run locally, and that is the point. Coupland's is quick to credit its people — the friendly in-store teams and the talented bakers behind the scenes — whose care and consistency, the company says, have made it a trusted name in Kiwi homes nationwide.
Family ownership still shows in the small things: an endeavour to use fresh, wholesome, local ingredients wherever possible, and a brand voice that reads more like a neighbourhood noticeboard than a corporate brochure, complete with a Kids Corner on the website and a fundraising programme for local groups.
The everyday anchors are all here: fresh bread baked daily, plus buns and rolls for the table — the six-pack of dinner rolls is a regular on the specials board. The slices and loaves selection is a quiet win for morning-tea hosts, with flavours like apricot & raisin, banana, butterscotch, coffee & walnut and date & orange rotating through the weekly deals.
Then there's the pie. Coupland's classic mince & cheese pie takes top billing on the company's website, front and centre of a pie-award banner — a nod to the savoury side of the range, which also runs to ready-made meals, pizzas and garlic breads. Sweet tooths are covered too: a dedicated donut range, jumbo cookies and family-bag biscuits, cakes and muffins, pastry goods, a dessert range and chilled treats. A dedicated gluten-free category rounds it out for wheat-avoidant shoppers.
Coupland's treats its specials board as an event rather than an afterthought. Every week a fresh set of deals goes up on the website, and regulars soon learn the rhythm — one recent week put five loaf flavours and a six-pack of dinner rolls on offer. Deals are emailed to subscribers as well, so it pays to sign up.
The Richmond store is set up for more than the quick lunchtime loaf run. The gift-giving range includes iced fruit cakes in 1kg and 250g giftboxes — a tidy answer for any occasion — alongside gift vouchers for when taste is anyone's guess. Catering is available through the wider business, and much of the range can be ordered online with click & collect or click & ship, so the shopping can happen from the couch before you ever reach Queen Street.
The bakery sits at 186C Queen Street in Richmond 7020, handy to the town's main shopping area. Opening hours aren't published online for this branch, so it's worth checking with the store before a special trip — though with fresh bread baked daily, most mornings will reward you. Grab a mince & cheese pie while you're there; the banner says it all.