A Bristol bakery is set to expand into its second site in the city after repurposing its original cafe business during the pandemic.
Bakers & Co is scheduled to open an outlet in March at Wapping Wharf, a neighbourhood of more than 40 independent restaurants and retailers by Bristol’s historic harbour.
The business will occupy a unit in CARGO 2 - a network of converted shipping containers - where it will serve coffee and baked goods produced at its main site on Gloucester Road.
Due to national lockdown restrictions, Bakers & Co decided to convert its café space into a bakery, allowing it to continue to serve bread and pastries for its customers.
Bakers and Co is part of Season and Taste - a group of four hospitality businesses owned by entrepreneurs Kieran Imogen Waite. The duo already have two restaurants at CARGO - Gambas and Cargo Cantina.
Brett St Clair, head baker at Bakers & Co, said: "Bakers & Co is all about community, and nothing has reinforced that idea to us more than the past two years.
“Being able to bring people comfort with something as simple as a great cup of coffee or a loaf of sourdough bread has meant a lot to all of us. With Wapping Wharf it's all about bringing that same sense of community to the harbourside.”
Bakers & Co’s new Wapping Wharf shop was previously used by kitchen specialist HUSK, which has decided to focus on transforming an old bicycle and timber storage area at its original workshop in Montpelier into its new showroom.
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Stuart Hatton, managing director at Umberslade, the developer behind Wapping Wharf, said: "I'm a big fan of Bakers & Co so I am delighted they are opening their second shop at CARGO 2 and look forward to welcoming them to Wapping Wharf.
“It's also great to see Season and Taste expanding its presence within the quarter, each time bringing something new and exciting to the mix.”
In September, Umberslade submitted a planning application to Bristol City Council to add four new restaurants or retail units and a gym to Wapping Wharf, between the office of estate agency NEXA and Jubilee House along Museum Street.
The mixed-use neighbourhood supports around 250 to 300 full and part-time jobs in Bristol’s retail and hospitality sectors.
Work is underway to convert a derelict warehouse on the site - the former factory of chocolate manufacturer J and S Fry - into 20,000 sq ft of office space for up to 230 people.
As well as an expanding business community, Wapping Wharf also comprises 450 homes, with that number set to rise to 600 when the neighbourhood’s current phase of development is completed.
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