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ABOUT US ABOUT BAKERS DELIGHT
What we do is nice and simple, it’s freshly baked bread! Since 1980, we’ve been committed to delighting our customers and being pillars of our communities. We’ve been baking the same way for 40 years to give you our signature delightful experience. Because you don’t just deserve butter, you deserve the best.
GRAINS TO YOUR BREAD
You may not realise it, but your bread has undergone an amazing journey well before you take it home and tuck in. Our flour is sourced from Aussie farms, processed by family-owned millers and lovingly crafted into bread by our bakers. Take the journey with us.
The rise and rise of Bakers Delight
In 1980, Roger and Lesley Gillespie opened the first Bakers Delight in Hawthorn, Victoria. Since then, we’ve been delighting our customers every day with delicious, freshly baked bread. From our classic loaves to our artisanal sourdoughs, our bread is baked fresh each day using traditional recipes and real ingredients.
Still proudly family-owned and operated by joint CEOs Elise Gillespie & David Christie, Bakers Delight is now Australia’s most successful bakery franchise and can be found in more than 700 locations across Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand.
OUR HISTORY
Here’s a timeline of our history in the baking, ever since we first opened our doors in 1980.
1980 – Bakers Delight is founded on May 1st
Roger and Lesley Gillespie opened the first Bakers Delight in Hawthorn, Melbourne along with their mate Gary Stephenson. The bakery is still going strong today and the wider Bakers Delight business remains in family hands. In 2017, Roger and Lesley appointed their daughter Elise and her husband, David Christie as joint CEOs before taking up positions on the Bakers Delight board.
1988 – We launched our franchising concept
In 1988, Roger and Lesley owned 15 bakeries. “We realised that we would need a different management structure,” Lesley said, “This led to our investigation and research into the franchising industry.” Now, we offer franchise opportunities in bakeries across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA.
1990 – 20 bakeries operating in Australia
With our franchising concept firmly in place we had opened 20 bakeries in our tenth year. This number was set to grow significantly in the following years.
1991 – We open our doors in Adelaide
The first interstate bakery was opened in the city of churches. We were excited to bring our delicious, fresh bread to Adelaide.
1992 – The first Bakers Delight TV commercial airs
We released our first ever TV commercial to the public, which showcased our delicious products and wonderful staff. This also marks the first use of our iconic Bakers Delight jingle!
1993 to 1994 – We expand across the land
We grew further to establish bakeries nationally and opened Sydney in April 1993, Brisbane in September 1993 and Perth in March 1994. Bakers Delight was now well on our way to becoming an Australian icon.
1994 – Say hello to the Cheesymite Scroll
A monumental year for one of Australia’s favourite snacks. A hungry baker thought of blending his two favourite flavours together for a cheeky morning snack. He invented the Cheesymite Scroll and the rest, as they say, is history.
1995 – We expand to the land of the long white cloud
In November, we went international for the very first time, heading across the Tasman to open a Bakers Delight in Auckland. This was the first of many bakeries in New Zealand.
1996 – We have 225 bakeries open across AUS & NZ
Following a breakthrough growth period across Australia and New Zealand, we reached a total of 225 bakeries in operation.
1997 – Breadhead is born
Early folklore suggests Breadhead’s creation was a magical transformation from a piece of dough. A tin of flour fell into a bag of magic dust used to make the dough, and thus Breadhead was born.
1999 – Our partnership with Breast Cancer Network Australia begins
Since 1999, we’ve raised more than $18 million for the BCNA. A landmark partnership, the money goes directly to the support of thousands of Australians and their families who are affected by breast cancer.
1999 – The beginning of Bundraiser
Our bakeries in WA began raising funds for the Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth by donating money from the Hot Cross Bun sales and on-counter donation tins. This partnership was the catalyst for a national fundraiser to support children’s hospitals all around Australia. Now, we call it our Bundraiser Day and it’s held every year in the lead up to Easter.
2000 – We have 400 bakeries open across AUS & NZ
A continued period of expansion resulted in our number of operating bakeries reaching impressive new heights of over 400.
2001 to 2003 – We win Australian Franchise System of the Year
Bakers Delight claims back-to-back Australian Franchise System of the Year awards. These prestigious awards (presented by the Franchise Council of Australia) recognise excellence in franchising — an honour we happily shared with our dedicated network of Franchisees.
2003 – Bakers Delight opens in Canada
In November, we opened our first Canadian store under the COBS Bread brand. We launched our Edgemont bakery in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the first of 11 COBS Bread bakeries to open in Canada in just 12 months.
2004 – Over 600 Bakeries operating across three countries
By 2004 we had successfully expanded into Canada and were experiencing further growth in Australia and New Zealand. This brought our total up to more than 600 bakeries in operation.
2004 – We win a Prime Minister’s Award
We’re so proud of our continued support of BCNA and were honoured to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnership (multi-site large business) from John Howard.
2005 – Celebrating our 25th birthday
A quarter of a century! It may have felt just like yesterday that we opened our first bakery in Melbourne, but Bakers Delight celebrated turning 25 in style.
2006 – COBS Bread expands again
Three years after COBS Bread first opened its doors to the Canadian public, we were thrilled to move into two more provinces. We opened in Edmonton, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario.
2007 – A new bread star is born
We introduced our new Hi-Fibre Lo-GI range, to help give our customers longer lasting energy. Tastier and softer than most white bread, our Hi-Fibre Lo-GI bread proved a real winner for our customers and is still one of our top selling loaves.
2009 – Business Review Weekly recognise our community practice
We were proud finalists for Excellence in Community Practice in the BRW Awards, held every year by the prestigious magazine, Business Review Weekly.
2010 – Our Pink Buns raise more funds
Our Pink Bun campaign raised more than $800,000 for Breast Cancer Network Australia. BCNA CEO, Lyn Swinburne AM, said 2010’s fundraising achievement was an incredible celebration of 10 years of working together.
2013 – Winner of Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands Award
We put a lot of time and effort into making sure every single slice of bread we produce is up to the same high standard. So we were thrilled you noticed and voted us the winner of the annual Most Trusted Brands Award in Reader’s Digest.
2014 – COBS Bread heads to Saskatchewan
Our delicious bread continued its rise in Canada, with COBS Bread expanding to Saskatoon and making Saskatchewan our fourth Canadian province.
2015 – We raise $1.79m for BCNA
Our record breaking Pink Bun campaign raised an amazing $1.79 million for Breast Cancer Network Australia, taking our total to more than $15 million since our proud partnership began.
2016 – Over 700 Bakeries operating across 4 countries
Baker Delight and COBS Bread can now be found in more than 700 locations across Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand. That’s a lot of bread being baked fresh and a lot of happy customers.
2017 – Launch of our low FODMAP loaf
The launch of the Wholegrain LowFOD Loaf was a game changer for Australians with food intolerances. This breakthrough in bread has been rigorously tested for appropriate levels of FODMAPs, allowing those with intolerances and sensitive tummies to enjoy bread without the discomfort.
2019 – Franchise Group of the Year
The Australian Retailers Association named Bakers Delight as the Nation’s Best Franchise Business for 2019. The prestigious awards are an annual celebration of the very best in retailing across Australia and an opportunity to shine the spotlight on those businesses that excelled throughout the year.
2019 – Our 15th annual BCNA Pink Bun Campaign goes viral
Everyone was talking about the BCNA and our Pink Bun campaign after Facebook blocked us from running our campaign ads, deeming them offensive. The campaign, which features topless breast cancer survivors bravely showing their scars, gained worldwide media attention. The campaign went on to raise almost $1.5 million (along with some much needed awareness) for the cause.
2020 – Celebrating our 40th birthday
How time flies! This year we celebrated the last 40 years and set our sights on the next 40. As Australia’s largest bakery franchise, we can’t wait to see what the future has in store.
2020 – 20 years of breast friendship
Over the past 20 years, the Bakers Delight network and our wonderful customers have raised over $20 million for Breast Cancer Network Australia.
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