Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate & Brandon Slotman.
Hi Kate & Brandon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In January of 2024, we had the idea to open a bakery. We had been milling our own wheat at home for a few years. This was due to some dietary changes that needed to happen in our family. There was no one else in the area making breads, and no one who used fresh milled wheat in their baked goods. We also had a goal to educate people about where their flour comes from, a wheat berry, all the different varieties of wheat berries that can be used for baking, and why fresh milled wheat makes such a huge difference nutritionally. We also knew we only wanted to use organic grains and flour.
We opened our doors on May 8th, 2024 with just us and our three children, then 9 and 12 years old (twins), and a friend and her kids helping us that first day. We hired her oldest son at the end of that first day, and we were on our way! We now have 8 employees and participate in 3 farmer’s markets. We have learned so much about entrepreneurship and have loved getting to know our community!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been smooth parts, but as first time entrepreneurs we have definitely had our fair share of struggles. We experienced some growing pains fairly quickly. We opened with three ovens, one double fridge, two mixers, and one mill. We quickly added a double freezer, followed by a second double fridge. We added a display freezer to our lobby and a sandwich prep table in the kitchen. We added a second mill at the beginning of this year. We also added an extra “cozy” seating area over Christmas. We opened with a very limited menu of items and haven’t really stopped expanding the menu. We are always trying to come up with something new.
At the beginning of 2025, we approached Horrocks about selling our product and they quickly agreed. It took us a bit to get a smooth process with that. We also started selling at Monticello’s and Capital City Market, which we eventually stopped because it just wasn’t working out profitability wise for us. It was a good learning opportunity for us though.
We’ve had a few employee struggles, but I suppose that is to be expected. We have a really great team which makes things easier for us!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in making all of our baked goods in house, from scratch, using all organic grains and flour. We mill a large variety of grains fresh in house to use in our baked goods. We also sell whole or freshly milled grains to our customers. That really sets us apart from others because we don’t know of anyone else in the area who does that.
We are proud to partner with other local and downtown businesses that use our products in their restaurants. We are proud to have started growing some of our own grains on our family farm in Allegan, MI.
We want people to know that we are SO much more than bread. We have sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, pizza, and kids meals. We have online ordering where you can build your own sourdough bread with whatever add-ins you would like, think Cherry Pecan, or Apple Walnut. We do a lot of special orders. We have a whole line of mini items that make great treats to bring to the office or meetings, baby showers, wedding showers, and other events. Although we are not a gluten free bakery, we do have gluten sensitive items. We have many customers, with gluten intolerance, who tell us they are able to eat our products without any issues. In the winter we offer classes. This past winter we offered sourdough and chocolate croissant classes.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Neither my husband or I came from a professional baking background, or even had any formal training or education in baking. We just learned everything on our own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freshiesbakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshiesbakery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556352305428
