Located on the 84-acre property at The Farm Byron Bay, The Bread Social is a locally-owned and operated bakeRY. 

Our philosophy is uncomplicated; create only the finest and most wholesome hand-crafted baked goods on a daily basis. Using organic, sustainably sourced and as local as possible ingredients, the Bread Social is an ethically-driven business supporting local communities and vendors through opportunity and consideration for environmental sustainability. 

Our freshly baked goods are an expression of the passion we have for our craft.

Each product at The Bread Social is lovingly crafted by our dedicated team in our bakery at The Farm. 

Whenever possible, we harvest ingredients straight from the on-site cultivation here at The Farm; in addition, we source from local suppliers renowned for their high quality, organic, in-season and fresh ingredients.

True to the artisan heritage of baking, our team use traditional methods. There’s something fulfilling about the way we use ingredients straight from the earth; preserving their integrity and turning them into something beautiful.

The Bread Social wholeheartedly advocates organic food production. We believe eating foods prepared with organic ingredients without chemical interference using sustainable farming methods is the right choice for individual health and the health of our earth.

Our story

Like all good things, The Bread Social came to life over a couple of beers at the pub between mates and long-time Central Baking Depot and Bourke St Bakery colleagues Paul Giddings, Tom Scott and Sam Saulwick. 

Paul at the time was the head baker at CBD and Sam was the general manager, whilst Tom Scott was down the road as head baker at Bourke St Bakery and was an old TAFE friend of Paul's. With a young family at home, Sam decided it was time to return to a simpler life out of the city. Having grown up in Byron Bay and hailing from a long-time local hospo family, he felt that Byron was the place to be; in what capacity it was still unsure, but the leap of faith was made, and the pipe dream of The Bread Social stayed just that. There was a visit from Paul a few months after the Saulwicks made the move that included Paul spending a couple of nights in a backyard tent. It was on this visit that Paul fell in love with the area, and the desire to open a bakery in the Northern Rivers grew stronger, so he moved shortly after to Byron and took a head baking position at Harvest Newrybar, where Sam was also working in the restaurant. 

The Northern Rivers works in mysterious ways, and after 18 months of looking at potential bakery spaces and finding nothing that resonated with the Bread Social ethos and heart, the idea seemed impossible. The dream was just about over when a long-time school friend of Sam’s called to chat about the idea of The Farm and a couple called the Lanes who had recently bought the old gladiola farm just outside of Byron. Paul and Sam met with Tom Lane, heard his ideas and his mention that some friends of Paul’s from Sydney, the Three Blue Ducks, were on board, and the deal was sealed over lunch at the Lanes hinterland property a few weeks later. 

After this, things moved quickly in the scorching heat of a Byron Summer. Tom Scott moved up and got to building, designing, planning, and acquiring any second-hand equipment that he, Paul and Sam could get their hands on. The Farm was built with The Bread Social Polin ovens being the first bit of equipment on site, and the building was constructed from the ground up around them. Long days were spent with the legends from the Ducks, getting the Farm to the point of opening in Late March 2015. Sam went out and about with samples, chatted to chefs, cafes, stores, and pounded the pavement until The Bread Social bread and pastries could be found anywhere they should be! 

The Bread Social was born with the idea of family, community, breaking bread, sharing, and using local and organic produce to create artisan bread and products made by hand. In its eight years, The Bread Social has grown from its three founding owners working 3am-6pm 7 days a week for eight months straight to where it is now, with over 90+ employees, a wholesale following that stretches between Yamba and the Gold Coast, four stores, and a brother company in Rob Roy Deli and Drinks. 

What has stayed the same is the friendship between Tom, Paul and Sam and their commitment to The Bread Social family, community, producers, and passion for the art of baking itself. The idea that was born way back when, in the courtyard of a Bondi pub, could never have dreamt up this journey and its wildest possibilities, and for that there is thanks to each and every one of you for making The Bread Social part of your day-to-day.