1983 · Old Moor Street
The queue
that started it all.
A first-floor kitchen. A lunchtime queue. K. A. Wanigaratne’s Mihiri Lunch began on Old Moor Street, Colombo 12, with meals that kept people coming back.
Our Story · Since 1983
A city. A family.
A shared table.
Rooted in Colombo. Built by a family. Shared across generations.
The Beginning
One man's vision.
Colombo's appetite.
In 1983, K. A. Wanigaratne started Mihiri Lunch on the first floor of a building on Old Moor Street, Colombo 12.
The queue soon outgrew the shop. From that upstairs kitchen, Mihiri set out to feed a city—one lunch packet at a time.
The queue
Around 1988 · Across Colombo
Beyond one shop.
Over a million lunches.
Demand carried Mihiri beyond its own doorstep. By around 1988, shops across Colombo were bringing Mihiri lunches to their customers, with more than a million lunch packets produced each year.
1990 · New Chetty Street
One small window.
A whole new beginning.
Our first bakery began in a small shop on New Chetty Street. With just one employee, we baked bread inside and served it through a little opening at the front. Simple beginnings, with room to grow.
2000 · A Bigger Ambition
Built for
the next generation.
In 2000, we opened a state-of-the-art bakery complex on New Chetty Street, Colombo. Dedicated spaces for baking, preparation and serving brought our craft together under one roof—a new home for everything we were becoming.
More from the 2000 archive
2015–2025 · Growing With Colombo
Closer to home.
Across the city.
As BakeShop expanded to multiple locations around Colombo, a familiar stop for fresh bread, cakes and savouries became part of more neighbourhoods.
2025 · Franchising Begins
More doors.
The same welcome.
In 2025, we began franchising—welcoming partners to carry BakeShop into its next chapter, with the same food, care and familiar welcome.
BakeShop Today
Still made
for everyday moments.
Something warm on the way to work. A cake for the family. A familiar place to pause.