Her Story
About Elizabeth
I spent over 30 years baking, but I started my business in 2022 after retiring from my role as a business services manager for a telecom company. I retired to take care of my granddaughter, who is now 7 years old and my little executive assistant. As a diabetic who loves bread, I discovered sourdough's health benefits and started baking for myself using organic whole grains. After friends and family encouraged me to sell my bread, I tested it at a pop-up event and sold out in 30 minutes. I then took all the necessary steps to launch my business properly, including health department registration, certifications, and state and federal registration. I source freshly milled organic flour by driving an hour and a half each way every two weeks. I operate at two farmers markets - a private market through the Conservation Foundation in Illinois where I sell twice a week to members only, and a public Sunday market in Oswego where I'm now in my third season. The business has grown significantly, and I typically sell out within an hour to an hour and a half at markets. I'm currently at a decision point about whether to expand with a brick and mortar location or stay small, and I'm saving up for a $10,000 oven from Italy to increase my production capacity. My recipes come from books like A Perfect Loaf, but I've had to adjust everything to work with organic whole grains, which took about a year to master. I'm an active member of several professional baking communities including the Artisan Grain Collaborative, Bakers Guild of America, Sourdough Geeks private community, Perfect Loaf, and Bread Loaf, where bakers from around the world share knowledge and support. My mentor is Jane Bridges from Sourdough Geek, who helped me transition from regular flour to stone mill flour. What drives me is the positive feedback from customers, especially those with health issues like diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and food sensitivities who can finally eat bread again without negative reactions. The most rewarding moment was when a father reached out about his young daughter with severe food allergies who could finally tolerate my bread without any reaction.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the positive feedback I receive from my customers and knowing that I'm helping people with their health. Hearing from diabetic customers that my bread is the only thing they can eat that won't spike their sugar, or from a mom with gestational diabetes whose mother came back crying because she was so thankful that her daughter could finally eat bread and get nutrition - those moments keep me going. The most rewarding was when a father reached out about his young daughter who has severe food allergies and such a strict diet. After a year of being afraid to give her anything, they tried my bread and she didn't react at all. He sent me this long email about how grateful he was, and it literally made me cry. I told him I'd be more than happy to work with him to bring in other types of flours she can tolerate and gave him ideas for pancakes and pasta to make her diet more extensive. I showed that email to the manager at the farm and said, this is the reason I'm doing this - because I know it's helping people health-wise. All the positive feedback from ladies saying they don't feel bloated with my bread and haven't had bread in so long - those have been the rewarding moments for me. That's why I keep going. It's a lot of work, but I know it's helping people.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now I'm at a decision point where I really have to decide this season whether to do a brick and mortar or just stay small like I am. The opportunity is there because I'm selling out so quickly - at the Sunday market that runs from 9 to 1 o'clock, I'm sold out by 10:30. My son asks why I don't make more bread, but I'm limited to what I have the capacity for right now. I'm looking at investing in a bigger oven so I could produce more, because at both markets I'm selling within an hour to an hour and a half. I already have an oven that I'm looking to buy - it comes from Italy and runs around $10,000, but I should be able to cover it by the end of this season. The challenge with working with organic whole grains is that it's a totally different animal - you have to adjust everything from any recipe because it behaves differently than regular flour because of the whole grain and the germ. That's why a lot of people don't use whole grain, because it's a little bit harder to work with, but it's healthier, and I chose the healthier way. It took me about a year to actually get a good handle on it.
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