Speciality coffee roastery, Birch – based on the Isle of Skye – is set to open a micro-bakery and Viennoiserie in Portree on Thursday 6th of March. Located at Unit 4 Broom Place on the outskirts of Portree, Birch Bakery & Roastery will offer a selection of classic French pastries finished with local Scottish ingredients and foraged island produce.
Founded by Skye local, Niall Munro, in 2020, Birch was inspired by trips to coffee mecca, Melbourne. Niall wanted to replicate the Melbourne café style back in his hometown, but with beautiful, locally sourced products from the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and with a firm focus on coffee.
The bakery will be the third site by the island-based coffee company, with the Portree cafe opening in 2021, and Inverness in 2024. It is also home to Birch’s roastery, where they roast coffee beans used and sold in both cafes.
The micro-bakery will be headed up by Parisian pastry chef, Tessa Biriotti, and will supply baked goods to Birch’s cafes in Portree and Inverness. The menu will focus on seasonal produce, finished with ingredients foraged locally by Niall and the team at Birch.
The bakery will offer an open-plan space for sit-in or takeaway, with espresso-based drinks available, alongside a refined filter menu. Birch’s coffee beans and merchandise will also be available to purchase from the bakery and online.
Niall Munro, founder of Birch, says: “We’re so chuffed to be opening a micro-bakery here in Skye – where it all started for Birch in 2020. The food and drink scene on the island is vibrant and thriving, but I saw a gap in the market for good, speciality Viennoiserie, and wanted to bring a slice of that to the Isle of Skye. The wild produce available to us in the Hebrides is second to none, and we’re looking forward to putting our own stamp on patisserie, using lots of exciting local ingredients.
This will be our third customer-facing site, and will also allow our visitors a bit of behind-the-scenes action, giving them a look into how our coffee roasting process takes place, while giving them a new and beautiful space to enjoy a freshly baked pastry and a good cup of coffee.
Opening the bakery has allowed us to employ a further two members of staff, taking our total employees across Birch up to 14 – something I wouldn’t have envisaged when I started Birch from a wee coffee van less than five years ago. I’m really excited about this one, and can’t wait to open the Birch Bakery & Roastery doors to show everyone what we’ve been up to.”
Similarly to the cafes in Portree and Inverness, the Birch Bakery & Roastery will boast sleek, Scandi-inspired interiors designed by Niall and brought to life by End Grain joinery, with furniture crafted by DB Woodcraft using Scottish native timber. Tableware such as plates and coffee cups have all been designed exclusively for Birch by Scottish ceramicists, Cara Guthrie, Samuel Sparrow and Caitlin Bowbeer.
Birch Bakery & Roastery will open on Thursday 6th of March 2025 and will ooperate a walk-ins only policy. For more information and updates, please visit birch.coffee.
Opening times:
Thursday-Saturday: 9am-2pm
For more information, visit: https://birch.coffee/
