Sam Ellis has worked with flour and water for the best part of his life, spending years in bakery kitchens and countless hours fixating on the art of baked goods. On a late night in November 2013, in a kitchen shared by his wife Sara and their two young kids, he found himself hand-rolling, boiling, and baking bagels to be wheeled in boxes the next morning to the Christchurch Farmers’ Market.

It didn’t take long for the market gig to boom into the full-blown bread biz it is today. Over 10 years later, you’ll still find the Grizzly market stall going strong every Saturday at Riccarton Bush, but you can also find us at our flagship retail location opened in 2018 at 33 Buchan Street or at our tiny diner-style space opened in 2019 at The Welder. Nowadays, the team at Grizzly Baked Goods consists of over 20 bakers, specialising in real sourdough bread, pastries, donuts and – of course – bagels. Each week, thousands of baked goods are delivered to cafés, restaurants, caterers and carb-lovin’ homes across Christchurch (order your very own artisan sourdough here or check out which local eateries are stocking Grizzly here).