Muffin Break New

What Muffin Break New does

Muffin Break New Zealand is a franchise-based bakery cafe chain that has operated in New Zealand since 1994, when it opened its first cafe in Auckland. The entity is part of a broader international network of 300+ stores spanning New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with the brand originating from Muffin Break Australia's 1989 launch in Coolangatta, Queensland. The New Zealand master franchise operation is headquartered at Level 1, 3 Vernon Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland, with recent store openings in Richmond Mall and Merivale Mall extending geographic coverage into regional shopping centers.

The company's core technology and product proposition centers on on-site daily baking at every cafe location, with bakers starting at 4am to ensure fresh muffins, cakes, slices, scones, cookies, breakfast and lunch items are available throughout the day. The coffee program is built around a signature 100% Arabica blend sourced from premier global coffee-producing regions and roasted, blended, and packaged in New Zealand. The product portfolio spans muffins (traditional, savoury, wholemeal, gluten-free), Duffins (donut-muffin hybrids), coffee, hot and cold beverages, breakfast, lunch, and sweet treats. A digital loyalty rewards program (every 5th coffee free, birthday muffin, 300-day point validity) supports customer retention.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) retail cafe sales at owned and franchise locations in shopping centers and malls across New Zealand, priced on a per-unit transaction basis; (2) catering services for events ranging from kids parties to large corporate functions, with a formal enquiry form covering 17 regional areas; and (3) franchise fees from the franchise ownership model where individual franchisees own and operate local stores. The go-to-market combines a franchise-led expansion strategy with direct-to-consumer retail execution and a corporate catering sales channel. Customer segments include individual retail consumers (primary), corporate and event clients (secondary), and franchisees (tertiary). The business operates without disclosed institutional investment, public listing, or M&A activity.

Name

Muffin Break New

Legal name

Muffin Break New Zealand

Website

https://muffinbreak.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Muffin Break New Zealand is a franchise-based bakery cafe chain operating since 1994, part of a 300+ store international network across NZ, Australia, and the UK. It serves individual consumers, corporate event clients, and franchisees through on-site daily baked muffins, specialty coffee, and catering services across shopping center locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee & Bakery Cafe

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Bakery Products (2050), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH)

Keywords

• Bakery cafe
• Specialty coffee
• Fresh baked muffins
• Catering services
• Franchise cafe

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Cafe Sales: Direct sales of freshly baked goods (muffins, cakes, slices, scones, cookies), hot and cold beverages (coffee, tea, smoothies, frappes, milkshakes), and food items (breakfast, lunch). Revenue generated through point-of-sale at cafe locations.
2. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering services for functions from kids parties to large corporate events, providing food and beverage packages.
3. Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise ownership model where franchisees pay fees to operate under the Muffin Break brand.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Muffin Break New Zealand operates a network of bakery cafe locations that bake fresh muffins, sweet treats, and breakfast/lunch items on-site daily from 4am, paired with a specialty coffee program built on 100% Arabica beans. In addition to in-store dining and takeaway, the company offers event and corporate catering services and a registered-member loyalty rewards program. Store expansion is driven by a franchise model targeting high-traffic shopping centers and malls.

Product overview

Muffin Break New Zealand is a family-owned bakery cafe chain operating since 1994, with over 300 stores internationally. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on freshly baked goods and specialty coffee. The core offering consists of: (1) the flagship Muffins product baked fresh daily on-site from 6am, (2) a full Coffee program featuring 100% Arabica beans sourced globally and roasted locally, (3) Breakfast and Lunch menus with sandwiches, wraps, pies, and savory items, (4) an extensive Sweet Treats line including cakes, cookies, slices, and Duffins, (5) Hot and Cold beverages, and (6) a Loyalty Rewards Program. The company also provides Catering Services for events and Franchise Opportunities for business owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Silver medal awards at 2025 Golden Bean Australasian Awards for both Milk Based and Espresso categories in Large Franchise/Chain
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cure KidscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2026Annual Red Nose Day partnership where Muffin Break bakes special Red Nose Day Muffins and donates $1 to Cure Kids for every muffin sold on Red Nose Day (Friday 31 July 2026). Cure Kids is New Zealand's biggest fundraising appeal for child health research.
• BellyfulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026Charity partnership where Muffin Break donates to Bellyful for every coffee and muffin combo purchased during Mother's Week (4-10 May 2026). Bellyful is a volunteer-run charity that cooks and delivers free meals to whanau with babies and young children who need support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brumby's Bakery: Australian franchise bakery chain offering fresh baked goods and coffee. Competes in the same bakery-cafe category with a similar franchise/retail operating model.
• Gloria Jean's Coffees: International specialty coffee franchise with strong Australian and NZ mall presence. Overlaps directly with Muffin Break on coffee-led franchise cafe positioning in shopping centres.
• Baker's Delight: Franchise bakery chain with strong NZ and Australia presence, fresh-bake positioning, and coffee/service offerings. Closely matches Muffin Break's franchise + fresh-bake + coffee combination.
• The Coffee Club: Australia-and-NZ cafe chain with franchise operations, full breakfast/lunch/coffee offering, and mall-based locations. Directly comparable franchise-cafe model and customer demographic to Muffin Break.
• Michel's Patisserie: Franchise bakery-cafe chain in Australia and NZ offering cakes, pastries, savouries, and coffee. Directly comparable in product mix and mall-based franchise footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Costa Coffee: Global coffee chain with presence in NZ and Australia. Competes in mall and high-street locations with broader capital and brand recognition than Muffin Break.
• Starbucks: Global coffee chain with strong NZ/AU presence, deep mobile/loyalty tech, and scale-driven pricing. Competes for the same coffee-led customer occasions as Muffin Break.

Emerging players

• Donut King: Franchise specialty bakery chain in AU/NZ focused on donuts and coffee. Comparable franchise model and customer base, with narrower product focus.
• Robert Timms: Australian specialty coffee and cafe franchise. Operates in adjacent category to Muffin Break with comparable franchise-cafe model.

Regional players

• Zarraffa's Coffee: Australian specialty coffee chain with franchise model. Comparable franchise-coffee positioning though primarily Australian, with limited NZ direct overlap.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/muffin-break-new

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Muffin Break New