Shelly Bay Baker on Leeds Street is the Wellington CBD outpost of Sam Forbes' organic sourdough bakery, whose whole philosophy fits in three words: Real. Good. Bread. A chef from the age of 15, Sam founded Shelly Bay Baker in 2017 and quickly outgrew his first site in Shelly Bay, moving to a purpose-built Miramar facility that houses the bakery, an in-house flour mill and a small retail shop. The Leeds Street bread store brings that same daily bake into the heart of Te Aro.
At the centre of everything is fresh stoneground flour, milled from organic New Zealand whole grains — a process that adds time and effort but rewards with terrific flavour and aroma. Natural levains (ferments) raise a range of unique, tasty sourdough breads, bagels and baguettes, alongside daily pastries, croissants, fresh sandwiches and barista coffee; the coffee team placed second at the Alternative Dairy Co Championship. Seasonal specials, most famously the handmade hot cross buns, rotate through the year.
Beyond the counter, the bakery sells its organic rye, white, spelt and wholemeal stoneground flours, sourdough starter kits, gift vouchers and pantry extras through its online shop, with click & collect and home delivery — and flour available throughout New Zealand via Capital Millers. Expect bread until it sells out, public-holiday openings, and a genuine community of home bakers swapping recipes, storage tips and starter advice.
On Leeds Street in Te Aro, Shelly Bay Baker does one thing exceptionally well: it makes real, good bread. That three-word promise — Real. Good. Bread. — is the entire philosophy of a bakery that mills its own organic flour, ferments everything with natural levains, and bakes sourdough loaves, bagels and baguettes fresh every day.
The Leeds Street store is one of four Shelly Bay Baker locations around the capital, joining Park Road in Miramar, Karori Road and Oriental Parade. Each carries the same heart: organic sourdough bread and other goodies made with fresh stoneground flour and, as their Instagram bio puts it, lots of love.
Shelly Bay Baker is the project of Sam Forbes, a chef from the age of 15 and, by his own description, a true bread head on a quest to produce the tastiest, healthiest bread on the planet. He founded the bakery in 2017 in a small space in Shelly Bay, and when demand outgrew it, he designed and built a new facility at 133A Park Road in Miramar — part bakery, part flour mill, part small retail shop.
That mill is the secret ingredient. The bakery sources organic New Zealand whole grains and stone-grinds them in-house, sending fresh flour straight into the day's dough. The process adds time and effort, the team admits, but the results show up in the terrific flavour and aroma of every loaf. The same flour — rye, white, spelt and wholemeal — is sold in the bakery shop and throughout New Zealand through Capital Millers.
Expect a proper working bakery counter. The daily range covers naturally leavened sourdough breads, bagels and baguettes, plus pastries and croissants, fresh sandwiches and barista coffee. If you haven't had a proper sourdough before, they warn, it's something you have to taste to believe.
Coffee is taken seriously too — a Shelly Bay Baker team took second place at the Alternative Dairy Co Championship, holding their own against ten local teams across latte art, specialty drinks and alt-milk tasting. Seasonal specials rotate through the year, most famously the handmade hot cross buns: organic, freshly milled local flour, citrus peel, raisins and sultanas in the bakery's own spice mix, finished with a sticky glaze.
One thing to know: when it's gone, it's gone. The bakery's posts routinely note "normal trading hours (or until sold out)", so arriving earlier generally means the fuller selection.
Shelly Bay Baker has built a genuine community around real bread. Its "Field to Table" newsletter shares market news, sourdough recipes, storage tips, farmer updates and nutritional information. Home bakers can pick up sourdough starter kits in the online shop and follow the bakery's free sourdough starter guide to get going. Gift vouchers cover the bread lovers in your life, and pantry extras like avocados and breadcrumbs round out the online range.
Delivery and click & collect run through the website — bagels, organic breads, pastries, coffee and flour can all be ordered ahead. The one caveat: delivery days can shift around public holidays, so it pays to check announcements (a Matariki Friday, for example, once pushed deliveries back a day). Wholesale customers are catered for too, through a standing-order system, and enquiries go to [email protected].
Whether you're after a loaf for the week, a bagel and coffee on the run, or the flour and know-how to bake your own, the Leeds Street store puts one of Wellington's most passionate bakeries right in the middle of the city.