For as long as Abel has existed, so too has the dream of our own perfume factory. A space in which we can produce our fragrances, experiment, innovate, and welcome Abel friends and family into our world. Last week we very proudly welcomed our first guests to our Abel Fabriek (fabriek, pronounced fab-reek, is the Dutch word for factory). A very proud and exciting moment for our team, made all the better for the support of our local community.

The Abel Fabriek dream became a reality early in 2021 when we took over the lease of the iconic Aro Bake bakery in Wellington’s Aro Valley. In the months between, we’ve completely gutted the building, taking it from a retired bakery, to state of the art perfumery. 

Bringing the scent of natural fragrance to an urban village that already plays host to a selection of New Zealand’s finest restaurants, brewery and other local favourites. We worked with Frances’ brother architect James Durcan on the building plans, as well as the best local builders and craftsmen for our specialised stainless steel fitout. 

While the primary role of the Abel Fabriek is that of a factory, we also wanted to create a beautiful front of house space in which we can welcome you, our friends and wider community. Sharing with you what we’re working on and engaging deeper in the world of natural scent. Our bespoke furniture in the front of house space was designed for us by local industrial designer Matan Fadida.

This week we’ve already started on our first mission for the Fabriek – the production of our debut New Zealand made line (all of our collection is currently made in the Netherlands, but in future this will be split across our two homes). This first production is just the start, we have so many exciting plans that we can wait to bring you in on… stay tuned!

The Abel Fabriek will be open for limited hours during the week so you can step by and experience for yourself what’s going on behind the scenes, meet the team and purchase the scents. We’ll also be hosting workshops and events open to Abel fans in the new year… more to come! 

If you happen to be in Wellington, we’d love to see you at
83 Aro Street.

Wednesday to Friday: 10AM – 2PM

Saturday: 10AM – 2PM