I'm in love with this bakery! I asked permission to take photos and told the lady at the front counter that I was jealous she gets to work in this beautiful bakery!! They are friendly and welcoming! They have so much stuff, from baked goods to teas to coffee! I bought organic stone ground rye flour and am so excited to bake with it! We tried a few of their pastries - cranberry and orange scone, cinnamon bun and cheddar twist; and coffee. If you expect fancy lattes, this is not the place for it. But if you wanna go crazy with organic breads and pastries, this place is for you! read more

See all

Our pastries were delicious and the customer service was outstanding and very friendly. We highly recommend True Grain!

The salted caramel spelt brownies are ridiculously delicious and equally as expensive but they're a great splurge. Breads and baked goods all seemed to be really excellent. Awesome selection of baking supplies (flours/nuts/seeds). Their cafe next door is also great and worth checking out. read more

We popped in here as they're highly rated. All the pastries looked quite tasty and the breads were made with high quality ingredients, so that's nice. I found them very expensive though. I think a 6 pack of cookies was something like $12-14 and breads maybe $10-12 a loaf. I had a bit of sticker shock so we kept our sampling to a few pastries such as a cinnamon roll and Danish and chocolate crossoint. Also they don't take credit. Cash or debit only which also surprised me considering the price and store front. So keep that in mind when visiting. Probably a good spot if you have special bread needs too. read more

They milled their own flours. That's a good sign for a bakery. They only accept cash or Canadian cards, not American cards. There's an ATM a couple of doors down inside the convenience store. Good selection of breads & sweets. A lot of nuts & seeds in almost everything. As I'm allergic to nuts & seeds my options were not as vast. However I found some yummy choices: Eccle cake, it's a puff pastry filled with currants, not too sweet, nice proportions of crust to fruit, my favorite part was the carmelized current goo crispy layer at the bottom. Chocolate chips bun was delicious plenty of chips & a crispy sugar top takes bread to pastry. The levain loaf was chewy and crusty even eating it plain in the car. There's more to eat but I've got to take a break for now. If you love bread come here. read more

Tourists beware. Does not accept American credit/debit cards. Yes, you read that right. There's no signage or messaging to warn you of this. The woman behind the counter simply watched my credit card get declined twice before she informed me they only accept Canadian credit cards or "US cash 'on par' with Canadian prices". WHAT?!! If a cinnamon roll costs CAD$5 then I have to give you US$5 even though it's only worth about $3.50 in American dollars?? What kind of establishment is this? To further emphasize how absurd this place is, we had a breakfast sandwich at the restaurant True Grain owns next door - Leeward Coastal Cafe. They accepted my perfectly good American credit card without any problem. If you're coming from the US, give your business to one of the many other establishments in the area. True Grain clearly doesn't want it. read more

Such a great little bakery! They have some of the best pretzels I have ever tasted :) we bought a few things here on a short stop in Cowchiwan including focaccia, pretzels, and a loaf of bread. Everything was amazing! The shop has lots of locally grown organic grains and homemade jams among other things. You can smell the bread baking as you drive into the town. A must stop if you are traveling through or visiting the island. Bring CAD because foreign debit/credit cards are not accepted. We will be back on our next visit! read more

Always such a treat to visit! We used to love visiting the Courtenay location when out from Ontario and really miss it. A great visit to this cozy bakery and you can never go wrong with any treats! read more

What a charming bakery. Now I know what foodies mean when they refer to "artisan." This place truly is a gallery of art that you can eat. Each bakery product is hand crafted, made with organic and carefully selected ingredients, and made with care. No factory made, bleached out, gluey, JUNK FOOD BREAD here. Is it pricey? Yes. But for a treat or to pair with some nice cheese you splurged on (from Hilary's Cheese next door..? I admit I did this) it is well worth it. The staff is friendly and super knowledgable! I had questions on the different loaf types and the women helping me was answering my questions and giving me an educational history of some of the grains/flours they use. Impressive! I got some cookies in addition to my loaf. They are MASSIVE and fresh and moist and really, the only word for them is: OMG. Very cute. Worth stopping in if you are in the area. Maybe even worth making a special trip for if you're up for a drive. Definitely will be back when I'm up there. read more

See all

My husband and I were exploring the seaside view when we ran into Cowichan Bay and found True Grain Bread. He got an organic vanilla latte and almond croissant. I got an organic cappuccino and chocolate chip croissant. Everything was amazing and I loved their mission and values. It's must while in town even if for only a quick stop! read more

True Grain Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Cowichan Valley D, British Columbia

See all

We love going to True Grain on the weekend to get pretzels, some cookies (which are intended to last the week but they never do!), and then whatever else suits our fancy. read more

This is a great bakery if you require straight ahead baked goods and they have good sourdough bread but do not go there for coffee. While they don't profess to be a coffee place, they do sell lots of baked goodies (sadly, none of the buns, muffins, etc. were made from sourdough), and they have tables so you would expect to be able to get at least a decent coffee but sadly, I have never had a worse coffee in my life. It was a small latte which turned out to be 95% milk, at least it tasted like it and there was no coffee flavor whatsoever. I should have known better - when a small coffee is 12 ounces, you know you're not getting real Italian style coffee. Go for the bread, don't stay for the coffee! read more

Picked up some pastries for next day's lunch. Quite good. The energy bars were especially good. No preservatives. read more

The bread and sweets looked beautiful. The prices were extraordinary. No credit card payment allowed. The bread was good, the cookies so-so. read more

Best bread and buns ever! Have been purchasing their flour for a few years and love it

Wish I lived closer. This place is great. We tried the emmer cookies with loads of nuts and dried fruit -delicious! We also got a small dense loaf covered with pumpkin seeds -not sure of the name- fantastic. Staff was so friendly. I would love to work at this place. read more

Incredible bakery in an incredibly beautiful place! We're from San Francisco, but we always make it a point to visit this cozy wood floor and ceiling bakery every time we visit family here in Cowichan Bay. The croissants and french baguettes are amazing. This is definitely a place to visit because the little waterfront village is very charming. read more

True Grain Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Cowichan Valley D, British Columbia

Organic, ancient grains, milled themselves, locally sourced.... this place sells out, and no wonder, with the quality that they offer up. I was excited to find a bread made with Ancient Grains, Pharaohs bread. It contains einkorn and Emmer, sunflower seeds and more. We discovered we loved eating this bread for breakfast along with goat cheese as we traveled about the island. The Pharaohs bread is moist and dense but not dry or rough as I expected I might find from a bread made with these grains. We had to sample the cookies and particularly liked the ginger cookies. It's a quaint place, with wood tables, wood floor, and a low ceiling, giving a sense of Hearth and Home. read more

True Grain Bread - Bakeries Near Me - Cowichan Valley D, British Columbia

I love bakeries but the ginger snaps were a little dry and the shortbread was just average. However the store looks cool. read more

Was staying up the street from this bakery and stopped in before leaving and am glad we did! Was surprisingly good! We ordered ginger snap cookies, a cinnamon bun, a birds nest, and a apple strudel. The birds nest was amazing, wish we ordered more! Almost didn't get the cinnamon bun because it looked pretty average, but tasted amazing. Would recommend. 9.5/10 read more

Visited this great spot again. Everything we tried was fantasic. The Early Riser is a wonderful way to start the day and they make a mean vanilla latte. The cheesy pretzel was super flavourful Eccles cakes sparkle with inviting yummiess. read more

The best organic milled grains, breads and delectables on the island! Tasty and healthy treats, sweet and savoury. My favourites are the baguettes and the almond pinwheel. I buy all my flour and rolled oats here. Oh, and local Westholme Farm teas and direct fair trade Level Ground coffee roasted on the island in Saanichton. Yay!! read more

one of the few Island bakeries where you can enjoy real Apple Strudel, just like your German grandmother used to make. If they'd invest in a European expresso machine, it would be impossible to leave. THE place to go for ancient organic grains, including Spelt, Red Fife, Emmer and Khorosan wheat. read more

So many delicious choices. Some sweet, some savory. We tried several little things, and were very content. The bread with chocolate and hazelnuts has a perfect balance of yeastiness and sweet chocolate, the seeded rolls are delicious. The only thing that was too heavy was the cheese twist. Go here and be happy. read more

Fresh and delicious everytime. Haven't bought a loaf, pastry, or cookie I didn't like. I enjoy the red fife sourdough and true grain levain most. Great Copenhagens and cinnamon buns. When you order online, they're very accommodating with requests eg. German pretzels without coarse salt sprinkles. read more

OMG. They are serious about farm to table here and I'm so grateful. The bread is fantastic. I can taste the love and the local, ancient grain goodness is true. Baked goods, indeed! I've enjoyed cheese twists, Eccles cakes, Bobbes, pain au chocolat, and a delicious almond pastry. We've only lived here for 2.5 weeks and I've visited 3 times. I'll be a regular for sure. You must come. read more

Love this place it never gets old. There seems to be German heritage in this bakery. Love the cheese twists and the Eccles. Very vey good seed loaf and French baguette. They also hand grind there own flour and sell it in bulk. Slow coffee service. Cow bay is old people central but it has some true gems. read more

This is such a great bakery! I grew up close to Cowichan Bay, and whenever I go home to visit, I always try to make at least one visit here. The interior of the bakery is really warm and inviting, with exposed wood beams, and comfy mismatched furniture. While the bread and pastries can be a bit expensive, it is all delicious. After going there, you can have a beautiful walk down to the cowichan bay marina, one of my favorite things to do when I am in town! read more

Amazing cookies made with all organic produce. I don't feel as guilty eating these as the ingredients are all hearty grains and moderately sweet. I'm still thinking about these cookies 1 month after eating them. read more

I love this place. I live in cow bay and come here often to buy fresh bread and delicious baked goods. The staff are very pleasant.

Came here for breakfast and got the breakfast roll and it was delightful ! Also got a ginger cookie. Prices were a little steep , but I loved that it was all organic . Everything was fresh and moist ! They also had specialty coffee and tea which was lovely . read more

Every time I am in Cowichan Bay I make sure to stop by true grain bread. Not only do they have great coffee, but their snacks are also to die for. The pretzel croissant is a favorite of mine, and the pain au chocolat is just wonderful. read more

Great place to chat with a friend - great atmosphere. Not too loud. Pair their bread with meat and cheese from Hilary's Cheese next door. Try the pretzels. Yum. I dream about them. Also took home the pain au chocolat this time and was surprised with memories of France!!! Flaky and delicious. My warm drink was good. It was busy but terrific and speedy service. A good selection of bread cookies; locals and tourists!!! Hands down a superb bakery read more

Yummmmmmmm! What a treat this place was--a delicious bakery in a beautiful location. We tried a variety of pastries and breads for breakfast. All I wish is that they also offered breakfast sandwiches or something, as it's hard to find a decent breakfast spot in this little town. read more

OMG the eccles were to die for. Tried the pretzels, croissants, Cheddar twist and all were amazing. Making a special trip out tomorrow for more of the same. Definitely a place to go for some phenomenal bakery items. read more

I have been buying bread here since the store first opened with Jonathan at the helm. Now my daughter and her partner who isceliac come from Victoria on a regular basis to buy their bread because he can enjoy the spelt bread and buns as she does the multigrained loaves. Myself, I am addicted to a cup of coffee and an almond croissant whenever I am in the shop. As for the Christmas season coming up, there are all sorts of goodies for those of us who don't have the time or inclination to do festive baking. True Grain Bread is a treasure- I can't imagine a grocery list without a stop there. read more

I have never enjoyed a bakery in Canada as much as I've enjoyed True Grain Bread; comparable to local bakeries in Europe. Everything I've tried is delicious, fresh, and well-made. The staff are helpful, pleasant and knowledgeable about their products. The selection is varied and interesting every day (unless you get there toward the end of the day by the time most items have walked off the shelves!). And we've discovered that one of our family members, who has difficulty digesting wheat, is able to eat the whole-grain, organic products offered; we suspect because the grains are locally stone-ground in small batches without any extra processing. We've been buying our bread and bakery products from True Grain since we moved over to the Island in 2005, and were absolutely delighted when they opened another store front at the Mill Bay Centre last year. If you're a fan of delicious, well-crafted and local food, True Grain Bread is a must visit destination. read more