New bakehouse, cafe opening in old Morris Bakery store at Naracoorte

The closure of this iconic country bakery shocked the town – and travellers who regularly stopped by. But now a new chapter is brewing.

Craig McCallum says he hopes to honor the heritage and legacy of Morris Bakery through Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe, while also infusing it with a fresh, modern spirit that will bring something new to the town. Picture: Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe.

Something special is brewing behind the scenes at the site of a Naracoorte icon, with a new owner working towards opening a new bakehouse and cafe he hopes will honour the legacy of its predecessor - and provide locals with a new community-hub where they can gather to enjoy delicious pastries and coffee.

When Morris and Sons Bakery shut its doors suddenly and without warning in February, locals were left mourning the former town staple and staring at yet another empty shop on their main street.

End of an era: Naracoorte's iconic Morris and Sons Bakery closed its doors after over eighty years of business in February this year. Picture: Jessica Dempster

Now Craig McCallum is working hard to bring the scent of freshly baked goods and brewed coffee back to the Smith Street store as he works towards opening Craig’s Bakehouse & Cafe.

Concept designs for the exterior of Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe. Picture: Associated Design Studio

Craig McCallum of Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe. Picture: Craig's Bakehouse and Cafe.

Mr McCallum says he hopes to honour the heritage and legacy of Morris Bakery through Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe, while also infusing it with a fresh, modern spirit that will bring something new to the town. Picture: Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe.

Mr McCallum has spent the past 25 years in marketing and education but before that was in hospitality – an industry he said he really enjoyed and was looking to get back into around the time Morris Bakery popped up for sale.

“I’ve been in Naracoorte for about seven years now, it’s got a beautiful sort of community feel and community hub about it. And when I saw that Morris bakery was available, I thought, well, this is a good opportunity to give something back to the town,” Mr McCallum said.

“We have a value around Craig’s, which is community and food and good coffee brings everybody together, and that’s what we ultimately want Craig’s to be – a place where people can come to enjoy freshly baked goods and great coffee and just start creating memories again in that environment which Morris’s had historically.”

Mr McCallum said he plans for the bakehouse to specialise in sourdough and other artisan breads, as well as freshly baked pastries and expertly brewed coffee and but also wants to honour the legacy of Morris Bakery and the famous Australian meat pie by including a range on the menu.

“Morris was very popular many years ago for his pies – so we want to reintroduce that range as well,” he said.

Mr McCallum says he hopes to honour the heritage and legacy of Morris Bakery through Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe, while also infusing it with a fresh, modern spirit that will bring something new to the town. Picture: Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe.

Mr McCallum said one of his main goals for Craig’s is creating a menu that encapsulates both his and his bakers’ vision and the wants and needs of the Naracoorte and wider community.

Over the past couple of months, he’s been asking locals what they’d like to see offered at Craig’s when it eventually opens.

“I really do want the community to be involved in creating and recreating their bakehouse, and the input has been fantastic,” Mr McCallum said.

“There’s been lots of recommendations made. There’s polls that we’ve got going, asking people about their favourite pies and the favourite pasties, breads, etc, and it’s been phenomenal with the way that people have been involved.

Mr McCallum says he hopes to honour the heritage and legacy of Morris Bakery through Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe, while also infusing it with a fresh, modern spirit that will bring something new to the town. Picture: Craig's Bakehouse & Cafe.

“Some people have even been putting letters under the shop door, writing to me and saying what they would like and how much they’re looking forward to the bakery reopening.

“Bill Morris has been amazing as well – coming in and sharing some of his secrets around how he ran things many years ago.

“A lot of the comments I’ve been receiving from people talk about how they grew up in town and would visit Morris Bakery every day and then when it closed they were really sadden by it. So for those people to see that something is coming, it’s really invigorating for them and for the town.”

An opening date is not set in stone yet, but Mr McCallum aims to have Craig’s up and running by the end of the year.

To find out more and keep tabs on when Naracoorte’s new bakehouse will be opening its doors, keep an eye on their website and social media pages.