Who we are

We are the team behind Convent Bakery at Abbotsford Convent — a beloved Melbourne institution serving our community since 2018. We bake fresh bread every morning, serve coffee, feed families, and employ more than 20 local staff. We are not a chain. We are a small, independent business that poured everything into this place.

How we got here

In 2018, the previous bakery operator walked away, leaving the business on the brink of closure. We stepped in and saved it. As part of the transfer, we paid the Abbotsford Convent Foundation $126,000 by bank cheque — clearing every dollar of outstanding rent the previous tenant owed — plus a bond. The Foundation took the money, signed the transfer, and welcomed us as tenants. Without us, they would have had an empty building, no income, and no prospect of recovering those arrears.

What the landlord did during COVID

When COVID-19 hit, the Abbotsford Convent Foundation locked us out of the entire precinct six times — for more than 250 days. We were legally permitted to keep trading as an essential bakery and takeaway café. The Foundation closed its gates anyway. During every one of those 250+ days, we paid every dollar of rent as required under COVID tenancy laws. We complied fully with our legal obligations.

What is happening now

After eight years of serving this community and paying rent without fail, the Abbotsford Convent Foundation has issued us a termination notice effective 14 May 2026. They have also been allowing a monthly farmers market inside the precinct to sell bread in direct breach of our exclusivity agreement.

We have serious concerns about what comes next. A tenant in the adjacent premises was recently locked out by the same landlord — despite an existing VCAT order prohibiting that lockout. That conduct speaks directly to how this landlord treats the tenants who built its precinct.

The human cost

If we are forced to close, more than 20 people will lose their jobs in an already difficult employment climate. Several of our team members are on sponsored visas. For them, losing this job does not just mean losing income — it puts their right to remain in Australia at risk. These are real people, real families, and real lives depending on the outcome of this legal fight.

What your support covers

Court and tribunal filing fees — including urgent VCAT application fees and any Supreme Court filing costs if proceedings escalate

Legal advice and document preparation — we are currently self-represented and fighting this alone; professional legal support is urgently needed

Expert evidence — independent valuation and forensic accounting for loss of profits during 250+ days of forced closure

Ongoing hearing and appeal costs — this fight may not end at first instance; we need to be prepared to go the distance

We have already covered as much of this fight as we can ourselves. As a small business that has paid every dollar of rent for eight years — including through every COVID lockdown — we have done everything right. But we are now facing an organisation that receives government funding and charitable donations from the public, yet is directing its publicly funded resources toward removing the very small business operators who built its precinct and kept it alive.

We believe that is wrong. We believe the community deserves to know how those funds are being used — and we believe the community can help level the playing field.

We are not asking for a windfall. We are asking for enough to stand up and be heard. Every dollar brings us one step closer to keeping our doors open.