bread man heats up
Houston's 'Bread Man' rises with hot new grocery store partnership
Houston's Bread Man Baking Company is expanding beyond the Bayou City. The bakery announced an expansion of its partnership with Whole Foods Market, which will see four of its signature loaves distributed to stores in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, as well as locations in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
Beginning Tuesday, October 27, Whole Foods will feature four seasonal loaves that will be exclusive to its stores: Pumpkin Spice Brioche, White Chocolate Orange Challah, Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough, and Chocolate Cherry Sourdough. Like all of Bread Man's products, they're made with locally-sourced ingredients and without any artificial additives, preservatives, or high-fructose corn syrup.
“The expansion within Whole Foods is a dream come true, and we’re overjoyed with the growth of this relationship,” said Tasos Katsaounis, CEO and founder of Bread Man Baking Company, in a statement. “The ability to showcase our products to a new audience is exciting. Whole Foods gave us the creative liberty to create seasonal flavors so we came together as a team and immediately explored our own favorite holiday flavor combinations.”
Founded in 2018, Bread Man has been growing quickly. Initially, Katsaounis started as a hobbyist who rekindled his childhood interest in baking for friends and family. An enthusiastic response to pictures of his breads on social media — along with some encouragement from his wife, Houston radio legend Roula Christie — inspired him to leave his corporate consulting job and become an entrepreneur.
Katsaounis started selling his breads to Houston restaurants. Over time, Bread Man expanded to selling at farmers markets across the Houston area, Whole Foods, and select H-E-B stores. In addition, Katsaounis partnered with a team of Houston restaurant veterans to open White Elm Cafe Bakery, an establishment in the Memorial area that features an expanded selection of Bread Man breads and pastries.
"Six months into Bread Man Baking Company’s existence, Whole Food contacted us, and that was a dream come true. Now, to be able to expand our reach not only to the entire state of Texas but also to neighboring states, well, I never would’ve imagined this to come from fulfilling a passion that began in my home kitchen," Katsaounis added. "I get to tell my family and friends in Dallas that they can go to their local Whole Foods Market and buy our breads."
