CERES Grocery, Bakery and Cafe

Set within the CERES community park in Brunswick, Melbourne, CERES Grocery, Bakery and Cafe offers a different kind of shopping trip: part organic grocer, part bakery and cafe, with the Honey Lane Market Garden just below it. The store focuses on locally grown food, organic products, bulk goods and lower-waste shopping, making it a useful stop for pantry staples as well as fresh produce. Its range includes Honey Lane-grown herbs and vegetables, bulk flours, dried fruit, nuts and pulses, organic sweet treats, refillable cleaning products, natural skincare and chemical-free toiletries.

The bakery is a particular draw. Organic sourdough is baked fresh each morning using heirloom and ancient grains, with the bakery saying these support biodiversity and may be easier on sensitive stomachs. The cafe serves barista-made coffee and tea alongside fresh pastries, sandwiches, cakes and other sweet treats. It is well suited to a quick solo coffee, a relaxed catch-up or a break during a visit to the wider CERES site, with the park setting offering more atmosphere than a standard supermarket or cafe stop.

Weekends add another reason to visit. Bands play from 10.30am to 12.30pm, while the CERES Market runs on the first and third Saturday of each month. Visitors can have a coffee and pastry while listening to live music and browsing goods from local craft producers. The combination of a community park, market garden, grocery and regular weekend activity makes it a natural option for families, groups and anyone keen to spend a little longer than a routine food shop.

Sustainability is central to the venue rather than an afterthought. CERES Grocery runs a Soft Plastic Pick-Up service: shoppers can buy a red collection bag, fill it with rinsed and dried household soft plastics, then return it to the store for processing by Melbourne recycling partner APR Recycling. The grocery is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on weekends from 9am to 4pm, while the cafe trades daily from 9am to 3.30pm. It is closed on public holidays and on days above 35 degrees. You’ll find it at the corner of Roberts and Stewart Streets, Brunswick East.