The bakery began in 1987, when Jørgen Andersen left his position at a large commercial bakery to pursue a different path. He had grown tired of shortcuts, of doughs rushed through fermentation, of breads designed for shelf life rather than flavour. He wanted to bake the way his grandmother had taught him.
With savings from fifteen years of work and a small loan from his brother, Jørgen took over a defunct butcher shop on Bagerstraede. The irony of the street name was not lost on him. The space needed everything: new ovens, work surfaces, display cases, and most importantly, time to develop what he called "the soul of the bakery" — the sourdough starter that would define everything to come.
Building a Starter, Building a Reputation
For the first two weeks, Jørgen did not bake a single loaf for sale. He focused entirely on cultivating his sourdough starter, feeding it flour and water, adjusting temperatures, observing its behaviour. His wife Karen thought he had lost his mind. The neighbours assumed the shop would never open.
When the doors finally opened on a grey November morning, there were twelve loaves on the shelf. By noon, they were gone. The following day, Jørgen baked twenty-four. Those sold out too. Within a month, the bakery had a following. Within a year, it had a reputation.
The Next Generation
Jørgen's daughter Sofie grew up covered in flour. She learned to shape rolls before she learned to ride a bicycle. At eighteen, she announced she was going to culinary school in Paris. Her father was devastated. French bread? What about Danish traditions?
But when Sofie returned three years later, she brought new techniques that complemented the old ones. Her croissants were extraordinary. Her understanding of lamination transformed the pastry programme. And she had a deep respect for what her father had built.
Experience our craft firsthand. Visit our bakery in Copenhagen.
Find Our LocationToday and Tomorrow
Jørgen retired in 2015, though he still appears on Saturday mornings to chat with longtime customers. Sofie now runs the bakery with her partner Thomas, who handles the business operations while she focuses on product development and training.
The team has grown to include eight bakers, two pastry specialists, and several front-of-house staff. But the principles remain unchanged. Slow fermentation. Quality ingredients. No shortcuts. The sourdough starter — now affectionately called Bedstemor, or Grandmother — is older than some of our youngest employees.
We have resisted the temptation to expand into multiple locations. The bakery is not a brand to be scaled. It is a place, with specific ovens and specific people and a specific culture that has developed over nearly four decades. You cannot replicate that. You can only preserve it.
Our Commitments
We source our flour from Danish mills that work with local farmers. Our butter comes from a cooperative in Jutland. Our eggs are from free-range hens on a farm we have visited many times. These relationships matter to us. They ensure quality, yes, but they also connect us to the broader community of food producers who share our values.
Sustainability guides our decisions. We donate unsold bread to local shelters every evening. Our packaging is compostable. The ovens we installed in 2019 are thirty percent more efficient than their predecessors. Small steps, but meaningful ones.