Anna Campbell is a born and bred Wellingtonian. She studied communications and design at the University of Otago before heading abroad to travel through Europe and the United Kingdom. It was then she discovered a passion for food and came up with the idea for The Oatery - an oat based cafe.
The Oatery sells breakfast bowls, toast options and great coffee. Campbell does her best to use whole ingredients and seasonal produce while not overcomplicating things. The menu caters for all sorts of dietary requirements, the world wholesome is often used to describe it. Presentation is also incredibly important at The Oatery, “It’s important to us that the food looks lovely!”
It started as a stall at a little Wellington market, serving porridge and oat-based breakfasts on Saturdays. The Oatery then moved into the Wellington Harbourside market when Campbell also purchased a small retro caravan to produce granola for wholesale. She said her cafe's biggest achievement so far was purchasing the small kitchen shop space on Left Bank Cuba Street it now resides in. It was a “derelict little unit” that once housed the old bathroom of a well-known Wellington bar (The Matterhorn). She and a family friend spent eight months planning and doing up the space. With more room, Campbell can create in her own kitchen space and is endeavouring to sell the caravan.
Campbell’s biggest influences on where she is today are the supportive people around her and travelling. Starting a food business often means encountering a number of bumps in the road, so having an encouraging support system has had a huge influence personally and professionally. Without travelling, she wouldn’t have seen all the interesting and unique ideas that made her feel confident in pursuing the cafe.
As the only oat business in Wellington, The Oatery is incredibly unique. A goal for the future of the business is to develop more wholesale products.
In Campbell's fridge at home, three staples are leafy greens, feta and a good olive oil. Her advice to anyone beginning their hospitality journey is just to get started.
“You can learn what you need along the way.”
