Is it a bakery? Is it a coffee shop? Is it casual dining? When it comes to Cornish Bakery’s new Rise concept, the answer is simply yes.
Having proclaimed back in 2021 that “bakery is the new coffee shop”, Cornish Bakery founder Steve Grocutt has sought to blur the lines even further to “redefine what a bakery is, does, and can be”.
Enter Rise – bespoke larger sites in key locations which expand beyond the traditional coffee and bakery offerings to include small plates designed for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and afternoon/early evening dining which can be enjoyed with a selection of tea, coffee, and even beer and wine.
“We’re taking the opposite of the cookie-cutter approach,” explains Cornish Bakery CEO Steve Grocutt. “We’re purposefully designing bespoke, flexible environments that showcase and optimise our bigger spaces, and experiential opportunities. These are already becoming places for the local community to host talks, exhibitions, classes and events But Rise by Cornish Bakery isn’t our end destination, it’s another exciting innovation on our much bigger journey of ongoing reinvention.”
It marks something of a reset for the business, which has 80-plus stores across England and Wales. There have been several iterations of Cornish Bakery over the years, with three successful brand identities under its belt. This was because as the business doubled its locations and grew the team to over 1,000 it was keen not to “fall into a homogenous brand building category”.
“With Rise by Cornish Bakery we’ve reshaped what a bakery is does and can be,” Grocutt adds. “We’re thinning the boundary between bakeries/coffee shops and casual dining spaces, extending trading hours and integrating more deeply into the social fabric, the ‘vibe’, and the wishes and needs of the surrounding community – all led and driven by our brilliant colleagues on the ground.”
Location, location, location
Steve’s right hand man is managing director Mat Finch who came on board in 2024 as part of the independent chain’s acceleration plans.
Four hundred was the target number of locations expressed by Cornish Bakery last year with tourist hotspots, high streets, retail outlet centres, and motorway services identified as opportunities. There’s been steady estate growth already with 66 sites at the start of 2025 to 80-plus today.
“We are very, very selective on locations that we choose,” Finch tells British Baker during a conversation over a much-needed iced beverage at the newly opened Rise location in Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays on one of the hottest days of the year. “So, whilst we do have a long list of places we could be, we’re not obsessed about the number of locations we’re going to have.”
Another option explored as part of the business’ future strategy was a potential sale, with sector specialist advisory firm Tamweel Capital being appointed in early 2025 to look at the options.
“We got some really good offers,” Finch says, “but we just didn’t feel the offers were right for us.”
As such, the business has “paused” the sale process and will instead focus on “organic growth, new products, and new openings”. Although “not the focus” for the moment, Cornish Bakery may explore sale options in the future, the MD adds.
For now, at least, the focus will be on finding the “very best locations where we can bring something to that local community”.
Whether that location is defined as a bakery, coffee shop, or casual dining venue remains up for debate. Indeed, when asked to define each Finch highlights the difficulty in this.
Many will “expect a bakery to sell bread”, he notes, “so we’re already breaking the rules”. Regardless of the label, the quality of food and drink served across its estate will remain a priority.
He is willing to point out some differences between a coffee shop and a bakery. Namely, he says, “the passion for food”. “There’s a big expectation for freshly baked food. The corporate coffee chains have brought coffee into the UK market and done very well with that and then tried to add on food… it’s an afterthought,” he believes. “We are a bakery first and we have great coffee.”
A menu fit for breakfast, lunch, and beyond
Juggling a menu suitable of catering to a diverse range of needs across the day, week, and demographics from friends meeting for a mid-week catch-up to weekend running clubs, couples wanting a glass of fizz after a day’s shopping, or another occasion requires careful thought.
The person in charge of that menu is Arnaud Kaziewicz, head of proposition and product at Cornish Bakery, who brings with him experience of working in two and three Michelin star restaurants.
“I’ve found the best way to be consistent is to keep it simple, buy really good food, and serve it simply,” Kaziewicz tells British Baker when sampling the new seasonal menu. “That’s what we do.”
It’s also important from an operational point of view with 80-plus stores all needing to recreate the products to the same standard, without a central production facility to fall back on.
“There’s no one on the high street of our size doing what we do,” Kaziewicz notes, “because we’re not too hung up on what label we’ve got, we just want the best quality products we can find.”
The business works with 250 suppliers with as many products as possible being sourced in Cornwall.
When it comes to menu innovation, he simply says “we serve what we like to eat”. “I used to say innovation is dead because everyone copies each other,” he adds. “We look at what our customers like, we do it really well, and we keep it simple.”
So, what do customers like to eat right now? If the seasonal launches are anything to go buy, zingy and zesty flavours coupled with indulgent meringue, pastry, and more. Highlights include:
- Lemon Meringue Croissant – inspired by the classic lemon meringue pie, an all-butter croissant is generously filled with a smooth cream cheese and rich yuzu cream. Meringue pieces are folded into the filling before topping the croissant with marshmallows which are caramelised with a blowtorch
- Orange & White Chocolate Chai Bun – an overnight-proved all-butter brioche filled with a velvety chai and orange crème brûlée custard. It is finished with a white chocolate and olive oil glaze
- Coconut & Raspberry Cake – a light coconut sponge finished with fresh raspberries and toasted coconut flakes
- Banana, Chocolate & Peanut Butter Pastry – inspired by Kaziewicz’s time on MasterChef: The Professionals, this all-butter croissant pastry is filled with crispy chocolate wafer, peanut butter, banana and caramel and coated with candied peanut pieces for extra crunch.
The drinks line-up has also been spruced up with an iced matcha latte, iced chai latte, and even a Cornish Colada (a non-alcoholic beverage made with pineapple juice, coconut milk, lime juice and yuzu & ginger syrup).
“All of these products have been developed to reflect our philosophy of using high-quality ingredients, classic flavours with a twist, and creating products that feel both indulgent and memorable,” Kaziewicz adds. “We’re constantly looking at how we can evolve our menus and appeal to new generations of food and drink lovers who are looking for something a little different.”
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