The Parisian luxury bakery group Copains will open four stores in Brussels in the coming weeks, to the delight of those allergic or intolerant to wheat.
After proving to be a hit in Paris, and more recently Lyon, the chain will open up as many as four shops in the Belgian capital, L’Echo reports.
The bakery was launched during Covid-19 by two former employees of French luxury giant LVMH, Giovanni Amico and Baptiste Borne.
Now expanding to Brussels (and simultaneously to London), the first Copains will open in mid-October in the heart of the Belgian capital at the Marché aux Herbes, in the Îlot Sacré district.
A second store will open on Rue Jean Stasby by Avenue Louise, and a third store - a bread-making workshop (referred to as ‘laboratory’) - will open its doors on nearby Chaussée de Charleroi.
The grand finale will be in December or early 2026, with a flagship store opening in Ixelles on the recently renovated Place du Châtelain.
The bakery offers a full assortment of gluten-free and vegan baking options, with supplies initially coming from France - except for waffles, which will (of course) be Brussels-made.
The arrival of Copains is the second fully gluten free bakery in Brussels after Chambelland, which is based near Bois de la Cambre.
High demand
The duo behind the bakery made Belgium a priority due to the high demand for gluten free bakeries.
"Belgians were our first customers outside France during Covid, and we received hundreds of messages asking for a shop to open in Belgium," said co-founder and CEO Giovanni Amico.
"So we are targeting both local customers and tourists, who are often looking for gluten-free options. I'm confident because I know there's demand, and I know the variety and quality of the products we offer," he added.
Credit: Copains Paris
The idea behind Copains came after the two decided they wanted a change in scenery from the fashion world and their jobs at LVMH. They swapped clothes for their second love: food.
What's more, both founders had dietary issues: one was allergic to gluten and other was lactose intolerant.
Noticing the lack of options in France for people with food allergies, they launched their first all-gluten-free and vegan bakery in the Montorgueil neighbourhood in Paris. Since then, they have opened 16 more shops.
Copains Paris should not be confused with the Walloon bakery group of the same name, who are lodging a complaint against the company, according to L'Echo.
Not a dietary choice
The announcement will come as a relief for people in Brussels suffering from coeliac’s disease, who have extremely limited options in the city to find alternatives for fresh bread and pastries.
Coeliac’s disease is an auto-immune malady in which the body, exposed to gluten, reacts with the abnormal production of autoantibodies against the body's cells and inflammatory proteins, which destroys the lining of the small intestine.
Gluten is found not only in bread and pasta but also in many other products in the food industry. Experts at the Belgian Society of Coeliacs advise against people adopting gluten-free-diets unless they have been diagnosed with the disease by a doctor.
