our Story
Bread Brothers was born from family heritage. Inspired by Grandpa Max & Grandma Della, we believe that the best things start on the farm.
Our story started 80 years ago, when Max & Della Johnson began farming wheat in Sutherland, UT. The family legacy of baking began when Grandma Della started a home bakery on the farm. She sold bread, rolls, donuts, and other goodies to their local grocery store in Delta to help supplement the family income.
Max earned a reputation as a superb farmer, producing a harvest of top-quality wheat year after year. This was the beginning of a pattern of excellence that inspires us to this day.
By the 1960s, the Johnsons' passions and skills were already reaching a new generation. Max and Della's daughter Lorraine worked with her father, helping him with tasks around the farm.
Of course, members of a farming family tend to learn a little bit of everything. For Lorraine that proved to be a saving grace as she soon met her husband, Tony, settled down, and had 11 children. She'd learned a thing or two about large-scale cooking from her mother, which became a valuable skill for feeding a family of 13. Her cooking and baking skills blossomed as she produced food for her family as well as many church & community events over the years.
One of Tony and Lorraine's 11 children, John was born in 1978. His birth is a major company milestone! John had great respect for his heritage, and Bread Brothers Bakery would become a creation out of his own passion for good food as well as a tribute to the family who inspired him.
John memorized his first recipe at 5 years old, proving beyond any doubt that baking runs in the family. His early experiences in the kitchen with his mother became the foundation of a passion for great food. It's a passion that he'd continue to pursue in the years to come.
He became the family's official brownie baker, and as his interest and skills in baking continued to expand, he began experimenting with breads, cakes, and other goodies for family and social gatherings.
John decided to pursue food as his profession, graduating as a chef with degrees in both culinary arts and hotel & restaurant management. After completing his education, John worked in professional food service and catering while maintaining his emphasis on baking.
Frustrated by the selection of bread available in the local grocery stores, John decided to take matters into his own hands. With the goal of providing his community with bread that was both good and good for you, John founded Bread Brothers Bakery. He began to establish his own reputation as a talented baker by selling his breads door to door, on local street corners, and at local farm stands.
His methods of using only clean, real ingredients and never cutting corners were inspired by his Grandpa Max's quality of work, and are the same philosophies that guide us to this day.
Who are the brothers? The name and logo were inspired by John's uncles - Max's sons who continue the family legacy of farming, and produce the top quality grain that is the pride of our bakery.
In 2009, after putting many other wheat brands to the test and finding them lacking, John began baking exclusively with his uncle Dave's wheat. It's simply the best. To this day, Dave continues to grow the highest quality wheat available.
During this time, John also began to double down on perfecting his craft. He further honed his techniques, adjusted his recipes, and collected feedback from friends and family members as well as his growing customer base.
After taking a short hiatus from bread to explore a few other business opportunities, John traveled to Utah for a few film-related projects. It was there on a film set that he met his wife Sarah. He was in character for the role of a homeless man for a local film, but despite the ragged beard and untrimmed hair, he made quite a good impression!
Sarah recalls that although he was an actor when they met, they frequently chatted about health and fitness while on set. She never thought of him as an actor, and says that "John was always a bread guy."
Together, John and Sarah would take Bread Brothers into its next chapter. They soon married and expanded Bread Brothers Bakery from a one-man operation into a family business.
Bread Brothers began to sell baked goods at local farmers' markets in Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale, and Fountain Hills. At this time, our product line expanded to include many more types of bread, as well as cookies, granolas, flours & baking mixes, and our now-iconic cinnamon rolls.
We loved our time at the farmers' markets. During these years we met countless wonderful people, many of whom remain good friends and loyal customers to this day. As our business began to grow, it became apparent that we needed to expand beyond farmers' markets in order to better serve our customers.
We decided to shift sales from the farmers' markets to a central, home-based location in Mesa. Our product line expanded to include an even wider variety of goods including pretzels, bagels, croissants, cupcakes, chcocolates, donuts, and more.
This move also allowed customers to place orders for their favorite items and arrange to pick them up. This has proven to be much more convenient and reliable for our customers than traveling to the farmers' markets and being limited to the available selection of that day.
Most recently, we established Bread Brothers Bakery's sister brands: The Pantry and Urban Farm Fresh. The Pantry provides home food supplies and Urban Farm Fresh focuses on handmade and farm-raised goods including natural bath soaps and raw honey.
We also launched our online store at breadbrothersbakery.com, which offers online ordering, educational resources, and an assortment of Bread Brothers merchandise!
