Sydney sourdough specialists, Sonoma Baking Company and Berkelo bakery, are combining under the Sonoma banner, as Berkelo founder, Tom Eadie, shifts focus to foodservice.
Sonoma Baking Company has signed an agreement with Eadie to acquire the Berkelo bakery brand, bringing together two businesses that share a deep respect for community and baking tradition.
Since 2016, Berkelo has been a fixture on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, growing to three neighbourhood bakeries. Located in Brookvale, Manly and Mosman, these sites will remain Berkelo bakeries, to be operated by Sonoma from 20 February.
The acquisition comes as Eadie shifts his focus to McCarrs House (formally Berkelo Kitchen), a full-service restaurant in Terrey Hills with a growing pasta range under the Berkelo brand.
“I’m incredibly proud of the bakery business we’ve built, and grateful to the customers who supported us on the journey,” said Eadie.
“The time felt right, however, to focus on our new restaurant and pasta business, and we know that Berkelo bakery is in great hands with Andrew Connole and his Sonoma team. We’re excited to see Berkelo’s next chapter, with Sonoma’s passion, expertise and resources behind it.”
Eadie retains ownership of Berkelo Kitchen and the pasta range, from which the sourdough pasta was nominated for Best Functional Food Product at the 2023 Naturally Good Awards. The range will rebrand in the coming year.
Leftover Berkelo sourdough is also the key ingredient in Hang 10 Distillery’s world-first whisky, which recently made the news for its innovative food waste repurposing.
From modest beginnings in 1998 with a 100-year-old oven in a rural bakery, Sonoma has grown to a neighbourhood fixture in Sydney, and a wholesale business that supplies bread to some of the city's finest restaurants and pantries.
Sonoma Baking Company founder, Andrew Connole, said the company recognises the passion and expertise it takes to build a cherished bakery brand, not to mention bake a beautiful loaf of sourdough.
“By bringing Berkelo into our family, Sonoma aims to preserve what makes Berkelo special whilst providing the resources and support that will enable it to reach more customers,” said Connole.
