The Humble History of Berlin Natural Bakery
We will forever be grateful to Howard and Irene Graves of Berlin, Ohio for having a dream and working tirelessly to grow, develop and care for it. That dream being our beloved Berlin Natural Bakery.
Howard & Irene's Story
Irene had been working as a nurse when she began to have a variety of health issues. These issues left her physically incapable of continuing her career as a nurse. This motivated her to build a home based business.
Howard and Irene had always been true advocates for natural health and they always felt that there was an absence of a natural whole wheat bread at their local health food store. So Irene began baking breads in the basement of her home which is where Berlin Natural Bakery found its beginning.
Eventually Howard joined in his wife's efforts and started presenting the breads to every health food store he could find in the state of Ohio. About 4 years into this venture they learned of an ancient grain that seemed to be making a comeback - spelt. After some trial and error, they were able to create a new line of breads made only from spelt.
After many years of struggling, they were finally able to provide Berlin Natural Bakery with a home of its own. As the years passed, Irene took care of all of the bookkeeping/administrative duties while Howard worked tirelessly in his effort to bake the perfect loaf of bread. Their combined efforts proved to be successful.
While Berlin Natural Bakery was successful, Irene's declining health made Howard realize that all he wanted was to spend as much time as possible with his beloved wife. This led Howard on a journey to find buyers for the bakery that he and his wife dearly loved.
Our Story
At the constant urging from a business associate, our family agreed to take a look at Berlin Natural Bakery. We had no doubt from the very beginning that this bakery was developed by someone who continually strived for perfection. It was evident that Howard loved what he had created and his pride could be seen in every aspect of his business - it was amazing to see.
There were two things that we could tell right off the bat that were important to Howard. First, that we respect his efforts and knowledge of the natural health food industry by continuing to produce products of only the highest nutritional and quality standards. Second, that we put forth our best efforts to make these products available to consumers nationwide.
In 1997, our family acquired Berlin Natural Bakery and oh, what a journey it's been!
Our Story Continues
My mom - our President, Joy Schrock - has been running, fighting for, sacrificing for and loving the bakery for many, many years now. And it is her passion, education and personal struggles that have fueled our commitment to keep standards high and uncompromising. Additionally, the legacy that began with Howard is also in the heart of every person who works at Berlin Natural Bakery. There is a standard of excellence shared among each part of our team that is incredible to behold.
To this day, we all continue to honor and respect Howard's incredible accomplishments and vision, and we have made huge progress in turning his dream into a reality. We have continued on in Howard's commitment to bake the perfect loaf of bread with the best ingredients available. We've spent countless hours doing research and educating ourselves (and you!!) in the value of clean, natural and nutritionally beneficial foods.
We have also found that there is no better teacher than our own personal experiences with our health. Over the years, we have seen our friends and family struggle with their health and what we have found most interesting is that the cure/treatment almost always includes balanced nutrition, adding clean and pure foods into the diet rotation and finding some way to bring balance into their lives. Our own experiences in life have confirmed our belief that good health must begin with good nutrition and clean foods.
As you read through our website, you will soon come to realize that we are fanatical about what we do. Our goal is not to be all things to all people - our goal is to provide you with the best tasting most nutritious spelt products available.
We, your family at Berlin Natural Bakery, are committed to serving you our very best, from our kitchens to yours!
You may recognize me (or my writing style) from blogs and other posts on our website and social media. I am Nicole, Joy's daughter, the 3rd Berlin Natural Bakery generation and I am so honored and excited to be a part of this family and this team. It may be my voice you recognize but know that the heart and passion behind it comes from my Mom and her amazing team.
