Manchester-based specialist sourdough bakery and viennoiserie, Pollen, is to open its new flagship pastry kitchen and café at the KAMPUS rental garden neighbourhood on Thursday June 9th.
Pollen at KAMPUS occupies a 2,600 square foot unit on the ground floor which has been designed by local interior design studio No Chintz. The new location incorporates a dedicated pastry kitchen behind a glass gallery where visitors will be able to watch the talented pastry team create pastries, breads, cakes and other speciality baked goods throughout the day.
The space will also boast a bigger café space, which will offer an expansive seasonal menu showcasing the best available produce across the year. The café will open from 7am from Weds-Fri and from 8:30am at weekends for local residents and visitors to purchase freshly made loaves and pastries, and to start their day with a delicious cup of coffee and a proper breakfast. There will be seating both indoors and outdoors overlooking the KAMPUS garden.
Pollen Bakery was founded by Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly who both share a love of great bread which borders on a healthy obsession. After spending time in France, they were inspired by the general availability of top class fresh bread and pastry products and how they form a part of daily culture.
After trying their hand at making artisan sourdough in their home kitchen, using the San Francisco approach to bread-making, they became hooked and began baking for friends and colleagues. Soon, they decided to take the plunge, expand the business and invest every penny they had into making a go of their own bakery.
“We had the passion, the drive and the eye for detail and quality to be able to bring something new, exciting and needed to the city centre” says Hannah.
The original Pollen Bakery opened in 2016 in a railway arch underneath Piccadilly train station, and soon queues began forming round the block as demand grew for their sourdough loaves and delicious pastries. Wholesale enquiries also increased as Manchester’s top chefs and restaurants began to place larger orders. By 2018, Pollen Bakery had outgrown the archway and moved to a bigger location at Cotton Field Wharf in Ancoats, located beside New Islington Marina.
“We put our heart and souls into everything we do and are always pushing forward to give our customers and the city the best offering possible,” says Hannah. “It’s good, because we care.”
On Pollen’s new KAMPUS site, Chris added: “Our second location in Kampus forms part of our evolution and growth. After drastically running out of space at our Ancoats bakery, the new location re-homes our pastry team in a dedicated pastry kitchen behind a glass gallery so you can see all the action taking place throughout the day and the masters at work. We will still serve the full range as usual at the Marina, but the new kitchen will allow us so much more creative freedom.
“With a bigger café space, we’re creating a brand new, modern, refined menu which will change with the seasons and showcasing the best produce available at the time. We’re working with some fantastic suppliers and can’t wait to show you a taste of what we’re working on.”
Notable independent and local suppliers that Pollen will be working with include Organic North (New Smithfield Market), Littlewoods Butchers, Out of the Blue Fish, Hasbean Coffee, Growing at Field28 and Cinderwood Market Garden.
Pollen will be joining a raft of other like-minded independent businesses at KAMPUS, the neighbourhood developed by CAPITAL&CENTRIC and HBD, including Nell’s New York Pizza and Bar, Yum Cha Dim Sum Kitchen, Madre’s Mexican Taqueria, Great North Pie Company, Beeswing Wine Bar, Cloudwater beer hall and a General Store.
“Kampus is a fantastic development with a strong focus on housing some of the best independents in the north and we are privileged to be a part of it” says Hannah.
Adam Higgins at CAPITAL&CENTRIC said: “We’re absolutely made-up to welcome Pollen to Kampus and the space looks awesome. Our residents and neighbours really are lucky to have their delicious hand-made bread and bakes right on their doorstep and I think we’ll be seeing the famous Pollen queues round the block again! They’re the first in a number of openings we’ve got over the next few weeks, so Kampus is going to be absolutely buzzing come the summer.”
Opening hours -
7am-5pm Weds-Fri
8:30-5pm Sat-Sun
Follow @POLLENBAKERY and pollenbakery.com for further updates
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