12 Best Bakery Franchises in Australia
In the Article (Quick Access)
We have come to my favourite part of the Food section of our Franchise Blog.
Yup – We are at that Tasty Juncture: Best Bakery Franchises in Australia.
The article is a part of the series of blogs we have published in the Food Franchise Industry in Australia that include:
Best Chicken Franchises in Australia
Top Icecream Franchises in Australia
and many more…
Let’s get started with the list of the best bakery franchises in Australia that also form part of some of the best Australian food franchises.
Before getting into the list, though, let’s take a quick look at Australia’s bakery franchising industry.
Bakery Franchise Industry in Australia
In Australia’s franchising segment, the bakery industry occupied a significant chunk of the pie (pun intended!) and had an estimated value of $9.05 in 2021. (Source: Global Data)
Its Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) was estimated to be more than 2% from 2021 to 2026.
Regarding the bakery items that have seen increasing demand over the years, Australia’s bakery industry has seen a growing demand for healthier baked products.
We all know how public knowledge about organic food has increased over the years, thanks mainly to social media.
The bakery industry in Australia has thus evolved itself accordingly and now produces items with high fibre and made with whole grains.
If you are thinking about owning a bakery chain, here are a few pros and cons of franchising points to consider right from the outset:
Pros of Owning a Bakery Franchise
- The franchise comes with brand name popularity, so easy to establish authority.
- It can get you a loyal customer base
- Good profitability ratio niche
Cons of Owning a Bakery Franchise
- It may require complex compliance, being a food business
- It May involve very early working hours (but things are changing in this domain, and franchises have now worked out solutions for this problem, as we’ll see in our list below)
- Availability of fresh ingredients may be a challenge/ costly – A challenge that is also equally faced by Restaurant Franchises in Australia.
With a basic introduction to the industry, let’s now dive right into the list of top bakery franchises in Australia.
List of 12 Best Bakery Franchises in Australia
Key Information
Founded in | 1980 |
Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Franchising since | 1988 |
Franchised units | 700+ |
Franchising cost & profit | · $60,000 plus GST for a term of 10 years · $198k+ average operating profit over 12 months (Source: Bakers Delight Official Website) |
Overview of the Brand
Bakers Delight was established by a husband and wife, Roger and Lesley Gillespie, in May 1980 in Hawthorn, Victoria.
The brand has now become an international franchise chain with more than 700 stores in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA.
Franchising.com describes it as the “world’s most successful bakery”.
After forty years in business, Bakers Delight has now become a household name in Australia and is undoubtedly one of the best bakery franchises to own.
Key Information
Founded in | 1966 |
Headquarters | Bairnsdale, Australia |
Franchised units | Petty Foods now owns 8 food/ bakery chains and has an international presence. |
Franchising cost | Patties Food is now a parent company of many bakery/food chains with varying franchising costs. |
Overview of the Brand
Initially founded as Patties Bakeries, a cake shop in Victoria, it was named after the owner’s wife, Patty Neat.
The bakery was later purchased by Dutch immigrants who introduced pies and bread rolls.
The meat pies produced by Patties Bakeries became a household name and today, Patties Foods is one of the largest producers of meat pies in Australia and around the world.
Talk about internationalizing Aussies’ national food! eh?
Today, the official website of the bakery claims its regional factory in Victoria to be the largest pie bakery in the world. (Source: Pattie Foods Official Website).
The company now owns the following famous food chains:
- Four ‘n Twenty
- Herbert Adams
- Nanna’s pies,
- Fitness Outcomes
- Ruffie Rustic Foods
Key Information
Founded in | 1975 |
Headquarters | Camberwell, Victoria, Australia |
Franchised units | 140 (Source: Official Website) |
Franchising costs | $370,000 to $430,000 (excluding GST) (Source: Official Website) |
Overview of the Brand
Named The Old Style Bread Centre on its first opening in 1975 in Ashburton, Australia, the bakery was co-founded by Roger Gillespie.
Yes, the same Gillespie who also founded Baker’s Delight.
The man really had an impressive fortune :).
The bakery grew from its humble beginnings in the 1980s to become The Brumby’s brand we know today.
In the 1990s, it had become a successful franchising story in the country.
The bakery is now part of the Retail Food Group public company, which also owns Gloria Jeans, Donut King, and Michel’s Patisserie.
Key Information
Founded in | 1901 |
Headquarters | Keilor Park, Victoria, Australia |
Franchised units | 86 |
Franchising Cost and Royalty | Between $250,000 and $350,000 ex GST |
Overview of the Brand
Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses is a family-owned business, headquartered in Melbourne.
The Bakehouses is an amalgamation of formerly two separate cake bakers, namely Ferguson’s Cakes and Plarre’s Cakes.
Ferguson’s Cakes was bought by Plarre’s Cake in 2012 and has since then been operated by the Plarre family.
The company advertises “no early-morning baking” as its franchise selling tagline because the baking is centrally managed and fresh deliveries are made daily.
The bakehouse boasts of winning a series of awards since 2007.
The main product lines of the bakehouse include
- Meat Pies
- Sausage Rolls
- Tiddly Oggies (pasties)
- Cakes
- Slices
- Birthday cakes
- Wedding cakes
Key Information
Founded in | 2002 |
Headquarters | Richmond, Victoria, Australia |
Franchised units | 71 |
Franchising Cost and Royalty |
(Source: (Breadtop Official Website) |
Overview of the Brand
Known to be inspired by Singapore-based Breadtalk, the bakery was established by Simon Ip and his brother Kenneth in 2002 across Australia.
Despite being relatively new, the brand has expanded to 70 stores spread all over the country.
The pace of growth suggests a very aggressive growth potential and could be a great franchise to own.
The franchising details can be obtained by filling out a form on the bakery’s official website.
Key Information
Founded in | 1988 |
Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
Franchised units | 123 |
Franchising Cost and Royalty | $300,000 to $400,000 (excluding GST) (Source: Michel’s Patisserie Official Website) |
Overview of the Brand
Opened by French chef Michel Cattoen and his wife Elisabeth in the 1980s, Michel’s Patisserie is now a wholly Australian-owned firm with business spread across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and China.
The franchises are directly supplied and served by a central bakery that bakes and distributes products daily.
As you can tell, it takes away a lot of the problems associated with running the baking business and hence is a Profitable Franchise Option in Australia.
Key Information
Founded in | 1936 |
Headquarters | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
Franchised units | 50 |
Franchising Cost and Royalty | $250,001-$450,000 |
Overview of the Brand
While not strictly a bakery, Shingle Inn is a well-known name in Brisbane dining culture ever since WW-II.
Originally established to be an elegant English-style tea house, the restaurant and bakery chain became a local heartthrob, with its doors queued with customers wanting to try its famous cakes.
The store was closed in 2002, to be opened later in 2010 inside Brisbane City Hall, restored with the original fixtures of the old flagship restaurant.
Shingle Inn offers aspiring franchisees with a passion for hospitality the opportunity to own an exceptional boutique café.
By joining them you not only become a part of a bakery franchise chain but a famous coffee shop franchise in Australia.
Key Information
Founded in | 1984 |
Headquarters | Hobart, Tasmania |
Franchised units | 40 |
Franchising Cost and Royalty | As per the official website, the cost is dependent on the size of a site, its location, the extent of the work required, and any financial incentives we negotiate with a landlord. |
Overview of the Brand
Operating since 1984, Banjo’s Bakery has now grown to over 40 stores countrywide and claims to serve 6.3 million customers annually. (Source: Official Website)
The brand’s vision is to become “Australia’s Leading Local Bakery Cafe”, and for this purpose encourages investors to be their partners by owning one of its franchises.
The company offers the following categories of support and assistance in running the franchise:
- Operations support
- Training support
- Marketing support
- Technology support
- R&D and HR support
Key Information
Founded in | 2003 |
Headquarters | Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia |
Franchised units | 240 |
Franchising Cost and Royalty | Details not publicly available |
Overview of the Brand
The uniqueness of the brand strategy is hidden in its name.
While not a bakery per se, Pie Face is a gourmet chain that, among other items, sells pie with every pie having a unique face.
The chain’s main food items include coffees, pies, and soft drinks.
In 2014, the company faced legal action in Australia and the US and saw a major blow to its business.
However, the brand was acquired by Australia’s United Petroleum and has since become profitable.
Key Information
Founded in | 1944 |
Headquarters | Ashmore, Queensland, Australia |
Franchised units | 240 |
Franchising Costs | $250,000-$400,000 |
Overview of the Brand
Goldstein Bake Shop was established by husband and wife Julius and Paula Goldstein, who had migrated to Australia from Germany.
The bake shop is still a family-owned business.
The first bakery shop was named ‘The Busy Bee’ and it gained immediate success due to its European style of baking. (Source: Goldsteins Official Website)
The bakery follows the model of centralized baking through its central bakery in Ashmore and delivers products to its franchises daily.
Key Information
Founded in | 1991 |
Headquarters | Western Sydney, NSW, Australia (Source: Cheesecake Official Website) |
Franchised units | 225 |
Franchising Costs | $150,000-$700,000 |
Overview of the Brand
The Cheesecake Shop started in the suburbs of inner-west Sydney in 1991. Within three decades of its establishment, the brand has become an international success.
Almost all of the franchises of the brand are independently owned.
It boasts to be a two-time specialty Limited, Globally, winner of the Australian Established Franchisor of the Year Award. The award is granted by the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA). (Source: Cheesecake Official Website)
Key Information
Founded in | 1977 |
Headquarters | Mt Kuring-gai, NSW, Australia |
Franchised units | 40 |
Franchising Costs | $166,806-$410,500 |
Overview of the Brand
Originally an American brand, it was launched in 1977 in Palo Alto, California.
Through the years, it has become one of the largest retailers of soft-baked specialty cookies.
In Australia, it is owned by Cookies Australia Pty Limited, with a network of independently owned franchises. Globally, the brand has over 800 franchises spread across 25 countries.
Mrs. Fields aggressively advertises its franchises as a solution to quit your regular job and become your own boss by owning its franchise.
It boasts of a simple and easy-to-run business model behind this claim. (Source: Mrs Fields Official Website).
So, there you have it.
The best bakery franchises that Australia has to offer.
We hope that you find the one which suits your investment needs.
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