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.
1978
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 began memorizing his first recipe at 5 years old-solid proof that baking runs in the family. His early experiences in the kitchen with his mother laid a foundation for his love of great food.
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. He graduated as a chef with degrees in both culinary arts and hotel & restaurant management. After his formal education, John worked in professional food service and catering, always keeping his focus on his favorite food, bread.
Disappointed by the selection of breads available in the grocery store market, John founded Bread Brothers Bakery. His goal-to provide fantastic breads that were the quality folks deserved. He hustled his breads door to door, on street corners & at local farm stands.
Who are the brothers? They're John's uncles - Max & Della's sons who continue the family legacy of farming. They produce the top quality grain that is the pride of our bakery.
In 2009, Bread Brothers began baking exclusively with Uncle Dave's wheat. After years of testing other wheats, experience proved that Dave's was truly the best.
2009 was also a time of recipe testing & technique perfecting. Feedback from friends, family & a growing customer base gave John invaluable info. to produce his best loaves yet.
On a trip to Utah in 2012, John met his wife, Sarah & her children. Together, they 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 pre-order their favorite items for scheduled pick up days. This proved 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.
Bread Brothers Bakery's introduced our 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!
Bread Brothers moved out of the house and down the street into our first commercial location.
Now we have a space to host workshops & conferences & a kitchen for creating our bakery products plus we've added gourmet meals, meats and more!