Jennifer Koertner is in the centre of the action in her micro-bakery, Jen's Breads. Her kitchen is in the local community centre; all the better to make her place part of the fabric of Mt. Morris, Illinois!

In the episode, Mark and Jennifer discuss the challenges with being a small town market baker, how her central location offers several advantages and how she was able to find such a great partner in her baker Sarah.

Helpful Links:

Jen's Bread website

@jens_artisan_breads_ on Instagram

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Joanne Chang is a shining light on the North American baking firmament. Owner of the hugely successful Flour Bakery in Boston, Joanne is also the author of several beloved cookbooks.

In this episode, Mark and Joanne discuss how she made the leap into baking and built up a mini-empire of bakeries around Boston. Expanding beyond a single shop requires a change of focus and Joanne now plays a significantly different role than the early days. And she still has time to write books like Pastry Love!

Helpful Links:

Flour Bakery Website

@flourbakeryandcafe on Instagram

@joannebchang on Instagram

Joanne's latest book: Pastry Love on Amazon

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Laura Rogerson is bringing the Good Stuff to the people of St. Albert, Alberta.  Having baked for the local farmer's market for years, she is now opening her own downtown space to both bake and teach baking classes.

In this episode Mark and Laura talk about building a customer base over time, what it takes to expand to new markets and how she's keeping her build out costs manageable in her new space.

Helpful Links:

Breadlove Website

@breadlove_ca on Instagram

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Richard Placzek is really into baking. Really, really into baking. But it was once he teamed up with Sammy Wardrop that his bakery really took off.

In this episode, Mark talks with both Richard and Sammy about their individual baking journeys, how they met one day at a London farmers market and how they are slowly building The Whole Grain Hearth into a southern Ontario highlight.

Helpful Links:

The Whole Grain Hearth Website

@wholegrainhearth on Instagram

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Jodi Whalen and Phil Merrick opened August First Bakery and Cafe in Burlington Vermont back in 2010 and step by step have grown it into a sustainable business for them, their staff and their community. They even have the team and systems in place where they can step back from the day to day operations of the bakery.

In this episode, Jodi and Phil share their journey in baking and in business, and share their experience in building a business that will continue after their retirement.

Helpful Links:

August First Bakery Website

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

It doesn't take more than a handful of products before a bakery owner asks "How can I stay on top of everything?"  Yet once the Pandora's Box of tracking spreadsheets is opened, it becomes harder and harder to leave the screen and get back to the bench.

In this episode, Mark talks about the tracking alternatives available to bakers, from pen and paper to major enterprise level software.  And then he asks the most important question:  What is "good enough?"

Helpful Links:

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

After a busy holiday season, the start of January is the perfect time for some well deserved rest.  But once your rested, smart bakery owners take some time to plan out their business development activities for the year ahead.

In this episode, Mark describes a 7 step method that he and Cindy used to plan out business development for their bakery, including a current business assessment, setting realistic development goals and bringing their bake team along for the ride.

Helpful Links:

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Not only is Alexis Hughes-Williams building her pop-up bakery, Something Sweet, but she's building a non-profit to empower young women at the same time.

In this episode, Mark learns about how Alexis learned to bake from her great-grandmother, built up a popular pop-up bakery and intends to expand it beyond Nashville, while keeping Girl unKnown a prominent part of her life.

Helpful Links:

Something Sweet Website

Support the Show Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Eddy Mysliwiec worked as a chef while he got his degree and started working for the City of Victoria. But his love of food was too strong. Moving to Montreal, he started Breddy Boulangerie and is becoming a major part of his cities vibrant food scene.

In this episode, Mark and Eddy talk about growing up in France, the pros and cons of a desk job and Eddy's plans for his microbakery.

Helpful Links:

@breddyboulangerie on Instagram

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Janice Mansfield switched careers from an office to personal chef, caterer and gluten free baker.  Now she is the Bakery Manager of Yonni's Doughnuts, the sweet and leavened counterpart to the excellent Discovery Coffee roasters and coffee shops.

In this episode, Mark learns about how Yonni's has risen and evolved alongside Discovery Coffee, Janice's journey from the office to the bake room and how her love of processes and systems has given her bakers an extra hour's sleep every night.

Helpful Links:

Yonni's Doughnuts / Discovery Coffee

@yonnisdoughnuts on Instagram

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin