Pastry Arts Podcast

Josh Allen: The Business of Bread


Listen Later

Josh Allen is the Founder of Companion Baking. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Allen was immersed in the food and baking industry from an early age. His great-grandfather founded Allen Foods, a well-known broadline food distributor with a large customer base across the Midwest. Allen spent much of his childhood delivering groceries to various foodservice operations, cleaning the freezers and sweeping the trucks for his family’s business.

Today, Companion’s award-winning bread is served in more than 400 restaurants, grocery stores, and businesses around the Midwest and across the country. Allen credits his success to listening and nimbly adapting to his customers’ wants and needs. In addition to their baking operations, Companion has two cafes in the St. Louis area and has expanded to offer a small line of pastries.

In this episode we discuss:

  • What inspired Josh to become involved in artisan bread baking
  • How he started his first wholesale business, Companion Baking, at the age of 24
  • Josh’s emphasis on “listening to his customers”
  • How he cultivated the customized bread programs at Companion Baking
  • Companion Baking’s initiative to reduce waste across the board
  • How Companion Baking has dealt with labor shortages, supply chain issues and inflation
  • Josh’s top tip for measuring fermentation
  • And much more!

Episode Sponsored by Puratos

Imagine a milk-alike, plant-based chocolate that tastes great and does good. That’s what makes new Belcolade M. Plant Based Cacao-Trace Chocolate so exceptional. The cocoa beans are carefully selected and fermented to perfection at their post-harvest centers across the globe. The result is a creamy, dairy-free chocolate like no other—and greater income for their cocoa farmers. Take your creations to the next level with Belcolade M. Plant-Based Chocolate. Great Taste, Doing Good. Learn more at https://www.puratos.us/en/chocolate/categories/real-belgian-chocolate/belcolade

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Pastry Arts PodcastBy Pastry Arts

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

73 ratings


More shows like Pastry Arts Podcast

View all
Good Food by KCRW

Good Food

1,090 Listeners

Travel with Rick Steves by Rick Steves

Travel with Rick Steves

2,446 Listeners

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters by American Public Media

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

3,046 Listeners

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast by Marc Maron

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

29,311 Listeners

The Sporkful by Dan Pashman

The Sporkful

3,900 Listeners

Radio Cherry Bombe by The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network

Radio Cherry Bombe

568 Listeners

Bon Appétit by Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit

2,546 Listeners

Special Sauce with Ed Levine by Ed Levine

Special Sauce with Ed Levine

371 Listeners

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio by Milk Street Radio

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio

2,963 Listeners

This Is TASTE by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

This Is TASTE

279 Listeners

Food Network Obsessed by Food Network

Food Network Obsessed

475 Listeners

She's My Cherry Pie by The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network

She's My Cherry Pie

207 Listeners

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb by Deb Perelman & J. Kenji López-Alt

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

477 Listeners

All on the Table with Katie Lee Biegel by Dear Media

All on the Table with Katie Lee Biegel

447 Listeners

Good Hang with Amy Poehler by The Ringer

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

7,419 Listeners