Todays topic continues to be SUPPORT your LOCAL folks. Farmers Markets, Artist/Craft Fairs, and don’t forget about your local hometown merchant! If you don’t support them they may not be their next time when are looking for them. Remember, there is no food without farmers; there is no art without artist: and there is no local retail without the locals merchants! Today we are chatting with the local bakery Great Harvest Bread Company of North Kingstown, R.I. Great Harvest does their part, not only are they are local, they give back to the community, and they use local products/ingredients
when ever they can. Did I mention the bread is so good you will have a hard time not eating the entire loaf right away!
It’s Tuesday and so it is our Interview day as well as our Whole Foods Market Afternoon! Julia is interviewing others at the Whole Foods Outdoor Market (Garden City Tuesday afternoons: 3-6 or 7ish.) You can see The Botanical Beauties and Beasties there as well as Great Harvest Bread Co. each week during the summer. Don’t forget Dirty Vegan Foods (last weeks interview) is there as well. Feasts for the eyes, the tummy and your health.
Julia (Botaniumus’ own local baker) is the interviewer.
Wendy is the spokeswoman for Great Harvest Bread Co.
Julia: Tell me about your bakery. Organic? Wholesome? All natural? What flours are used? (Julia has to giggle for she loves the play on words of her personal body made of flowers and that she makes bakery items with flours all day.)
Great Harvest (Wendy): Our bakery uses organic wheat and spelt when possible. We offer organic wheat and spelt twice a week each. Otherwise the wheat comes from Montana. We mill the wheat ourselves and use the flour within 48 hours. The honey we use is from Aquidneck Honey (local RI) and is all-chemical free. We try to source all local ingredients where possible (everything from Yacht Club soda to Aquidneck Honey to Casey Farms).
Julia: How did you come to be a professional baker/biz owner?
Great Harvest: My partner Paul has always had a love of baking and wanted to open his own business. He happened across a Great Harvest Bread Company in Cranston and fell in love with the product. From that day at lunch until we opened was just about a year. Paul spent several weeks over a couple of trips to Montana to train on the bakery systems.
Julia: Since it is said Bread is the staff of life – what is your morning breakfast bread?
Great Harvest (Wendy): Both Paul and I love our Hi-5 Fiber bread with peanut butter spread on it. For lunch Paul will usually have Greek yogurt and mix in our homemade Groovy Granola. (Julia has had this bread it one of her favorites too! It is incredibly good, and full of “good for you” ingredients.)
Julia:What’s your favorite item to make?
Great Harvest (Wendy): Paul is involved in both the bread and sweets baking and loves the most whichever one he happens to be working on that morning! My son Bobby is also one of our bread bakers and Paul’s sister Sandy works a couple of mornings a week as a sweets baker. All 3 of them love to bake each of the products we offer.
Julia:.What’s your best seller?
Great Harvest (Wendy): Rhody Crunch is a very popular bread as are our cheese breads. We offer cheddar garlic, Asiago pesto, and spinach feta. People love to mix cheese and bread!
Julia:We love your bread and your philosophies at Great Harvest: Your products are fresh, healthy and local! Is there any thing else you want you’d like to add?
Great Harvest (Wendy): At Great Harvest we mill our wheat on site and use the whole wheat flour within 48 hours of milling. You will not find fresher flour anywhere! Our bread and sweets bakers arrive at the bakery every morning by 3:45 to start the process of baking the breads and sweets. Everything in the store is baked on site, from scratch. Any breads that have to be pulled from the shelves are donated to the North Kingstown food pantry. We have very little waste in our bakery.
Julia: On your website I see amazing sandwiches! I know they are all made with your bread
which is delicious rich, moist, hearty and life-enhancing. Great Harvest-style breads (and so sandwiches) keep vital nutrients.
Great Harvest (Wendy): Fresh sandwiches served daily 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. on Sunday. You can also order a pick-up. Call us at 401-885-0580
Great Harvest Bread Company
6670 Post Road
North Kingstown, RI 02852
Website: www.greatharvestnk.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Harvest-Bread-Company-North-Kingstown/126435907401080
Hours:
Monday – Friday : 6:30am – 6:30pm
Saturday : 7am – 5pm
Sunday : 8am – 3pm
Phone: 401) 885-0580