The Bretzel Bakery

What The Bretzel Bakery does

The Bretzel Bakery is an independently owned artisan bakery headquartered in Portobello, Dublin, Ireland, producing traditional slow-fermented sourdough breads, baguettes, croissants, bagels, and pastries. Its core production technology is a 48-hour cold fermentation process built around a 21-year-old living sourdough starter culture, with an explicit no-additives, no-improvers, no-enzymes formulation and traditional handcrafted baking rather than industrial automation. The company sells through three channels: a flagship Portobello retail shop, a direct-to-consumer online ordering storefront operated on the third-party CyBake platform, and a foodservice/hospitality supply channel targeting restaurants, cafes, and hotels. It also supplies large-format sliced bread for events and catering.

The business is led by Managing Director Dymphna O'Brien (appointed 2022, with the company since 2012), supported by Operations Manager Wieslaw Drabik (since 2006) and Technical Production Manager Mateusz Piwowarczyk (since 2008) — a long-tenured internally developed leadership team. The company serves four identified customer segments: home consumers (primary), workplace/corporate buyers, events and catering clients, and foodservice/hospitality businesses. Bretzel is a member of Love Irish Food, has no disclosed parent company or external investors, and operates on a one-time-purchase retail/wholesale revenue model with no subscription or licensing component. There is no disclosed revenue figure; the firm is privately held and unencumbered by institutional capital.

Name

The Bretzel Bakery

Legal name

Bretzel Bakery

Website

https://bretzel.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Bretzel Bakery is an independently owned artisan bakery in Dublin, Ireland, producing traditional 48-hour cold-fermented sourdough breads, baguettes, pastries, and bagels for retail consumers, foodservice/hospitality partners, and event caterers from its Portobello shop and online ordering platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Commercial Bakeries (311812), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Artisan sourdough bread
• Traditional bakery products
• Fresh baked goods
• Croissants and pastries
• Catering and foodservice bread

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Bread Sales: Direct sales of artisan bread products to consumers through their physical retail shop and online ordering system. Products include loaves, bagels, pastries, and croissants.
2. Foodservice Partnerships: Supply of bread products to foodservice and hospitality businesses. The company is actively growing these partnerships as part of their expansion strategy.
3. Event and Catering Sales: Large-format bread products for events, gatherings, and celebrations - sliced and ready to serve.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Bretzel Bakery is an artisan bakery that produces and sells traditional slow-fermented sourdough breads, baguettes, croissants, bagels, and pastries. Products are crafted using a 48-hour cold fermentation process and a 21-year-old sourdough starter, with no additives, improvers, or enzymes. The bakery sells directly to consumers through its Portobello retail shop in Dublin and an online ordering platform, while also supplying foodservice businesses and catering for events.

Product overview

Bretzel Bakery is a traditional artisan bakery operating across Ireland, offering a focused portfolio of bread and bakery products. The core offering includes slow-fermented sourdough breads (including plain and Seeded Sourdough varieties), crusty baguettes made with French flour, convenience artisan bread shapes for everyday consumption, and large-format catering bread for events. Complementing the bread range are butter croissants, bagels, and assorted pastries. All products share a common commitment to traditional methods: 48-hour cold fermentation, a 21-year-old sourdough starter, no additives or improvers, and skilled handcrafted production. The bakery serves retail customers directly, operates foodservice partnerships, and provides catering solutions for events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sourdough Bread Traditional slow-fermented sourdough bread fermented for 48 hours using a 21-year-old starter, crafted with long cold fermentation for deeper flavour and fuller aroma. For home consumers, foodservice partners, and event catering.
• Convenience Artisan Bread Same long-fermented dough as original loaves, shaped for everyday convenience and ready to take home, offering genuinely artisan bread in accessible formats. For home consumers.
• Large-Format Catering Bread Large-format sliced bread made with slow-fermented dough, designed for events, gatherings, and celebrations, ready to serve in bulk quantities. For event organisers and caterers.
• Baguette Crusty, open-crumbed baguette made with French flour, crafted using traditional methods without additives or improvers. For home consumers and foodservice partners.
• Croissant Butter croissants made with real butter, reflecting the bakery's commitment to exceptional ingredients and skilled baking. For home consumers and foodservice partners.
• Bagels Bagels produced with the same commitment to craft and quality ingredients as all Bretzel bakery products. For home consumers and foodservice partners.
• Pastries Assorted pastries produced with the same dedication to craft and quality as the bakery's bread products. For home consumers and foodservice partners.
• Seeded Sourdough Sourdough bread made with the right blend of seeds, using carefully chosen ingredients and traditional fermentation methods. For home consumers and foodservice partners.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bread Ahead: London bakery with a flagship retail location plus bakery school and wholesale supply. Comparable in combining artisan production, retail DTC, and B2B/wholesale food service revenue streams with a craft-led brand identity.
• Gail's Artisan Bakery: UK-based artisan bakery chain combining neighborhood retail shops with wholesale supply to foodservice. Closest direct peer to Bretzel given the shared retail + foodservice + artisan sourdough model and multi-channel B2B2C approach.
• Poilâne: Paris-based artisan bakery renowned for traditional sourdough and brand-led storytelling. Comparable to Bretzel in its insistence on traditional methods, no additives, and a focus on heritage and craft as competitive differentiators.
• Tartine Bakery: Iconic San Francisco artisan bakery built around long-fermented sourdough and a strong brand narrative. Highly comparable product (country loaves, pastries) and craft-first positioning, though operating at much larger scale and with a US footprint.
• E5 Bakehouse: London artisan bakery specializing in long-fermented sourdough and supplying both retail and wholesale foodservice customers. Closely aligned with Bretzel on product range, fermentation philosophy, and B2B/B2C channel mix.
• La Boulangerie Française: French bakery brand with international franchise locations producing artisan-style breads, viennoiserie, and pastries. Comparable in product range (baguettes, croissants, traditional loaves) and traditional-baking positioning, though larger and franchise-led.

Regional players

• Firehouse Bakery: Irish artisan bakery operating in Dublin and surrounding areas with a focus on sourdough and traditional methods. Direct Irish peer with overlapping product range and customer base, though serving different specific neighborhoods.
• Honest Bread: Ireland-based artisan sourdough bakery operating through retail and wholesale channels. Closely comparable craft positioning and product mix, making it one of Bretzel's most direct Irish competitors.

Broad incumbents

• Paul Bakery: Established French bakery chain with global locations including the UK and Ireland. A broad incumbent competing in the artisan bakery-café segment with overlapping product categories (baguettes, viennoiserie) but operating at much larger scale and as a chain.
• Le Pain Quotidien: Global bakery-café chain with artisan bread at the center of its offering. A broad incumbent in the bakery-café space with overlapping product range and customer segment, though operating a wider restaurant-style format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BretzelBakery
• Facebookfacebook.com/BretzelBakery
• LinkedInie.linkedin.com/company/bretzel-bakery
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebretzelbakery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Bretzel Bakery