Sourcing Local: The People Behind Our Bakes

Great baking starts long before anything goes in the oven. It starts with the people who grow and produce the ingredients, and the relationships a local bakery belfast builds with them over time. At Krumb, we are proud of where our ingredients come from, and we think you should know the stories behind what ends up on your plate.

Why Local Sourcing Matters to Us

There is a straightforward reason we champion local suppliers: the ingredients are better. Produce that has not travelled far arrives fresher. Meat reared with care by people you actually know tastes different. Dairy from herds you can learn about has a character you simply cannot replicate with something anonymous from a central distribution warehouse.

Beyond quality, sourcing locally means our money stays in the community around us. As a local bakery belfast, we are part of a wider food culture in Northern Ireland that is genuinely exciting right now, full of producers doing brilliant things. Supporting them feels right. It also makes us better at what we do, because working with the best local suppliers belfast and beyond has to offer keeps our standards high.

The People Behind Our Bakes

Here are some of the producers who help make Krumb what it is.

• Stonebridge Farm supplies our pork and bacon. Their meat goes into our savoury pastries and weekend specials. Proper, well-reared pork from people who take pride in it.
• Ballylisk and Hegarty's are the cheeses on our counter. Both are Northern Irish producers making exceptional cheese. Ballylisk's triple cream brings a real richness to anything it touches. Hegarty's is a raw milk cheddar with real depth. If cheese is involved at Krumb, it is one of these two.
• Lucid Coffee Roasters handle our coffee. We are serious about coffee as we are about baking, and Lucid's roasts are a perfect match for our pastries. A croissant and a Lucid flat white is, we would argue, one of the finest combinations going.
• Honest Toil provides the olive oil you will find in our savoury bakes. It is a Northern Irish company sourcing exceptional olive oil, and their ethos aligns with ours: honest ingredients, properly sourced.
• Living Things are behind our soft drinks. Beautifully made sodas with real flavour, a world away from anything from a can.
• Good and Proper Tea supplies our tea programme. Because a proper cup of tea deserves proper tea.

What Local Sourcing Looks Like in the Bakery

In practice, sourcing from local suppliers belfast-wide means our menu reflects what is available and excellent right now. When Stonebridge have something seasonal worth celebrating, it finds its way into a special. When a new cheese from Ballylisk or Hegarty's comes our way, we find an excuse to put it on something. The artisan bakery belfast scene is at its best when the bakery and its suppliers are in conversation, not just in a transactional relationship.

It also means our team genuinely knows where things come from. When a customer asks about the cheese on their pastry or the coffee in their cup, we can tell them the story. That knowledge matters to us. We think it matters to you too.

Supporting Northern Ireland's Food Culture

Northern Ireland has a food scene that deserves far more recognition than it gets. The producers here are doing world-class work, and as an artisan bakery belfast, we see it as part of our job to shine a light on them. Every time you buy a bake from Krumb, you are supporting not just us but the broader network of producers, farmers and makers who make this part of the world worth eating in.

That feels good. We hope it feels good to you too. Every last krumb of what we do is rooted in that idea: great ingredients, great people, great baking.

Questions We Get Asked

Do you use all local ingredients?

We source locally wherever we can and where it gives us the best ingredient. Some things, like high-quality butter for lamination or certain flours, are not yet available from local suppliers at the standard we need, and we will always prioritise quality. But our default is always: who is doing this brilliantly in Northern Ireland?

Can I buy any of your suppliers' products directly?

Most of our suppliers sell direct or through local retailers. We are happy to point you in the right direction. Ask any of our team when you are in.

Do your local suppliers change?

Our core relationships are ongoing, but we are always open to working with new producers who share our values. If you know someone brilliant, tell us about them.

Order online: Honest Toil Olive Oil, Piggy's Smokey Hot Honey, Lucid Coffee Roasters beans and more on click and collect.

More from the Krumb journal

• How to Build a Krumb Grazing Board
• Artisan Bakery on the Ormeau Road
• A Day in the Life at Krumb Bakery

Pop in and taste what great local sourcing actually means on the plate. We are at 258 Ormeau Road, Belfast, open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm. Or order via click and collect to grab your favourite Krumb bakes, knowing every ingredient has a story worth telling.