It’s only opened up recently, but managers of True Grain Bread say they are already off to a good start at their new Courtenay location.
The most recent member of the Comox Valley’s craft baking scene opened on 10th street on Oct. 26, after buying the assets of Grains Bakery earlier this fall.
Read More: Grains Bakery sold to Cowichan Bay’s True Grain Bread Ltd.
Though it is already open for business, the new bakery will hold an official opening ceremony on Nov. 18 at 11 a.m.
True Grain Bread specializes in organic, hand-crafted bread and pastries made using local products. The bakery opened its first store in Cowichan Bay in 2004, before later expanding into the Okanagan in 2012.
The Courtenay location is True Grain’s third branch. General manager Brittany Evans said the store has been well-received by local shoppers since setting up last month.
“A lot of people have been stumbling upon us. Many of them have been to our Cowichan Bay location and they say ‘hey, it looks like the one from Cowichan’,” she said. “It’s been exciting to be able to put ourselves out into the community and be received.”
According to True Grain Bread president Bruce Stewart, the business’s success is due to following the bakery’s values, which include focusing on craftsmanship, procuring local ingredients and following a zero-waste mandate.
“It’s easy to cut corners in the baking business,” he said. “Or you can go the other way and really believe in and invest in the craftsmanship.”
“It’s not easy to do what we do every day — baking from scratch, usually without any yeast and using a natural starter that we milled ourselves on an ancient stone mill. To do that consistently and do it well is really hard.”
Stewart said that expanding into the Comox Valley was a natural fit for the business.
“The Comox Valley has a lot of the same values that the Cowichan Valley does that have made us successful,” he said. “People in the Comox Valley are seeking a certain quality of life. That’s why they live in such a beautiful community.”
The new bakery’s official grand opening will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. The event will include free samples and giveaways, as well as a possible ribbon-cutting.