Micro-Bakery Florets Has Opened Its First Ever Brick-and-Mortar Offering in Grey Lynn

One of the city's favourite sourdough bakers has opened her first brick and mortar offering, with a new name, new look and delicious new seasonal menu.

Opening its doors in Grey Lynn this week, Florets (formerly Kōpiko) is the new bakery from Maya Handley, previously known for the cult following of her door-to-door bread deliveries in central and west Auckland.

Handley's approach to baking is to do away with waste, offsetting the giant production lines and masses of mouldy loaves often produced by supermarkets. Historically her small-batch sourdough loaves have only been baked through pre-order, all sustainably produced using whole-grain, organic and chemical-free flours.

It's an ethos she's brought to the new brick-and-mortar Florets, located in a well-known Great North Road heritage building, recently renovated by design company Hatch Boanas.

"We chose this beautiful old Grey Lynn building divided across two levels, where customers are invited upstairs through the baking kitchen, a welcoming space where [they] can connect with our bread making practice," Handley said.

On the bakery's line-up are the sourdough loaves customers know and love from Florets' previous iteration, including rye, oat porridge and whole wheat.

Alongside sits a seasonal menu of sandwiches and toasts, built in collaboration with Freya de Beer Smith of Pomona deli. Pomona's spreads, dips, cheeses and other goods will all take a starring role in the sandwiches and will be available for individual purchase.

Zoë Dunster

Menu highlights for the coming summer season include sourdough focaccia topped with heirloom tomato, charred peppers and labneh, or for the sweet tooths, homemade ricotta with honeycomb, olive oil and sea salt served on oat porridge sourdough. Also topping toasts is the preserve supplier Slow Jams, known for using end-of-season fruits to create waste-free spreads.

Are you sensing a theme yet? That's for good reason. Handley said in a statement that all suppliers at Florets must be both high quality and sustainable to reduce environmental impact.

Don't worry if you love your deliveries of handcrafted bread. Loaves of Florets sourdough will still be available for deliveries around the central and western suburbs, including Titirangi, Blockhouse Bay, New Lynn, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay, Ponsonby, Kingsland and Mt Albert, as well as being on offer at the weekly Shed Collective Fresh Food Market in Oratia.

Florets can be found at 596 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, and is open Wednesday to Sunday, 7:30am - 2:30pm.