Freyja – the croissant story
If you’re looking for a new kind of delectable treat to pause over on a busy day, enjoy with family, or celebrate something special, it’s likely that Freyja - the croissant story is what you’re looking for. Freyja aspires to be a gathering place for its local community of Campbell River to enjoy coffee and an outstanding Scandinavian-style croissant, as well as a culinary destination on our fair isle. Judging by their first seven months in business, both aspirations are already coming true.
Since opening in July 2022, they’ve sold more than an incredible 45,000 croissants (that’s about 9 tons or 9.000 kilograms in weight). People have even made the drive up from Victoria to try the croissants like foodie blogger Best Eats Victoria (@besteastvictoria) who considered it “well worth the trek”, and even one individual from Vancouver looking to replicate a moment they once had in Paris over a croissant. Lucky for them, the owners Emese and Geza moved halfway across the world, from Hungary with their two children and two dogs, to start the business in their new hometown of Campbell River. Bringing with them experiences of cafes throughout Europe and a hunger to share that level of quality and flavour with their new community.
It’s the technique, the base, and the ingredients that have led them to create a croissant that is different from what most places make. Their signature sourdough base is formed over a three-day, hand-rolled process in their bakery just a skip hop and a jump from the cafe. Having their own bakery has also allowed them to offer their own workshops in croissant-making—something which has quickly gained popularity for passionate foodies or as a unique gift or day night (the next one is in April with tickets available on their website).
They also use two other fermented doughs which combined with the sourdough result in a unique flavour and outstanding structure. Using just seven ingredients in these base croissants, there are no nasty additives to be found here. And it’s their handmade process—along with the quality of the butter—that forms those light, fluffy layers we all know and love found in the best of viennoiserie pastries. The fillings are all lovingly made from scratch too, whether it’s roasting their own hazelnuts for praline or blending fresh punnets of raspberries almost in their entirety for a single filling come summer.
This level of freshness—evident in the taste of every bite—can only be found by using seasonal ingredients. Where possible the team seeks to source hyper-locally, although interestingly and somewhat surprisingly they have run into some supply issues when wanting to source directly from local fruit farms whose entire inventory ends up in our grocery stores. They hope to also do more partnerships with local businesses—like their collaboration with French Press Roasters which has made their coffee almost as popular as their croissants or their new source for salt: Vancouver Island Salt (they use the salt flakes for their savoury items). These partnerships are seen as a chance to champion fellow local businesses and find unique flavour profiles for their offerings (they’re always open to hearing from suppliers and producers with bright ideas).
To fuel their passion for offering exceptional pastries to our island community, not all ingredients have been available locally, however. Their partnership with B-Corp-certified Valrhona chocolate (located in France) for example is hard to compare with, as the aromatic, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate is considered the best in the world by many in the baking scene. Freyja’s customers have only solidified it’s been the right choice, with their raspberry ganache (made with the Valrhona Inspiration Raspberry chocolate) being a firm favourite.
Aside from their permanent items that have generated a loyal following (the vanilla or the almond croissant and the pain au chocolat are also up there with the raspberry ganache), visitors know to keep an eye on their Instagram and website for upcoming seasonal or even daily specials. A chance for the team to get creative and often have fun with a bit of additional decor too. A case in point is their Valentine’s Special Box featuring a bicolour version of that aforementioned raspberry ganache croissant accompanied with a new, limited flavour: the “Persian Love” danish with pistachio frangipane and chantilly, with a rosewater white chocolate whipped ganache.
Freyja’s croissants can be enjoyed in their light and airy space that plays host to Vancouver Island artists like Sea Woven. They’re a walk away from the waterfront, and their outside patio is sure to be a gathering place once again in the summer months (dogs welcome). If you know you’re passing through, pre-orders of their croissants and savoury lunch items for pick-up can be found on their website. And their reach is also slowly journeying south with a pick-up point at Roam in Cumberland and some of their items being available daily at Milano Coffee in Courtenay. They’ve done markets, popped up in Nanaimo, and tried a couple of different ways to meet the community where they’re at. For now, nothing really beats making the drive and connecting with owners, Emese and Geza, who can often be found in the croissant shop vibrantly mingling with locals and sharing the flavour profiles and story behind each croissant with those eager to listen.
