Breadsmith facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Bakery Production and Sales Franchising |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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Dan Sterling (Founder) Tim Malouf (President) |
| Products | Bread |
Breadsmith is a popular bakery company that started in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's a special kind of business called a franchise. This means that while the main company sets the rules and recipes, other people can open their own Breadsmith stores. Breadsmith is famous for its artisan breads, which are breads made in a traditional, handcrafted way. Today, there are over 35 Breadsmith stores across the United States, especially in the Upper Midwest.
Contents
The Story of Breadsmith
How It All Started
The idea for Breadsmith came from a person named Dan Sterling. He was the founder of the company. In 1993, Dan opened his very first bakery in Milwaukee. His love for bread began when he was studying in Norway. There, he tasted amazing European breads that were different from what he usually found in the United States.
When Dan came back home, he went to Harvard Business School. After graduating, he helped a local bakery with their money matters. But he never forgot those delicious European breads. This inspired him to start his own bakery, which he named Breadsmith.
Growing the Business
Dan Sterling opened his first Breadsmith bakery in Milwaukee in 1993. That very first store is still open today, run by a different owner! Just one year later, in 1994, Dan sold his first franchise store. This meant someone else could open a Breadsmith bakery using Dan's recipes and business ideas.
From that point on, Breadsmith grew by adding more franchise locations. Dan Sterling led Breadsmith, Inc. until 2001. After that, he decided to start other new businesses.
New Leadership
Since February 2006, the president of Breadsmith has been Tim Malouf. He started working at Breadsmith shortly after the first store opened in 1993. Tim has held many different jobs within the company, including leading the team that creates new recipes. He eventually became the president, guiding the company's growth. The main office for Breadsmith Franchising, Inc. is located in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.
Delicious Breads and More
What Breadsmith Sells
Breadsmith offers many different baked goods, but their main focus is on breads. They make artisan breads, which means they are carefully made by hand without extra chemicals or things to make them last longer.
Every day, you can find a variety of classic breads like French boule (a round loaf), French baguette, French peasant bread, sourdough, rustic Italian bread, and whole wheat bread.
Special Treats
Besides their daily breads, Breadsmith also bakes many specialty breads. These include brioche, ciabatta, cornbread, focaccia, multigrain, and traditional rye bread. They even make pizza dough! For those with a sweet tooth, Breadsmith also offers different kinds of dessert breads, cookies, scones, and coffee cakes.
How Breadsmith Works
Baking Process
Breadsmith is known for making breads "from scratch" and "hand-crafted." This means they start with basic ingredients and make everything by hand. They use special wheat flour that hasn't been treated with certain chemicals.
Each Breadsmith store has a very large stone hearth oven. This oven can bake up to 160 loaves of bread at one time! It also has a special system that uses steam. This steam helps give the breads their unique, crispy European-style crust.
Where to Find Breadsmith
You can find Breadsmith stores in 35 locations across 16 different states in the United States. These states include Kentucky, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Most Breadsmith stores sell loaves directly to customers who walk in. They also work with restaurants and grocery stores, selling their breads in larger amounts.
