Shannon KeoughThe Great Harvest Bread Company tantalizes customers with the sights, smells and atmosphere of an old world bakery. Owned by husband and wife Jim and Kim Blumenstock, Great Harvest has been keeping customers coming back for a variety of scrumptious snacks since 2002.
“The coolest part about Great Harvest is that you walk in and all your senses are aroused in one way or the other,” Jim Blumenstock said. “There’s music for the ears and there’s food to eat and touch. There’s the smells that are incredible, so every sense is driven once you come in and visit.”
The atmosphere of Great Harvest is warm and cozy with not just breads being sold, but biscotti, cookies, muffins, sandwiches and more. Each day a different variety of bread is available for purchasing and each one, from Pumpkin Swirl to a cheese-filled focaccia roll, is delicious. Gift baskets of treats can also be purchased and shipped anywhere in the U.S.
All of the breads are made from scratch at the store with no preservatives or shortening added. Wheat is also milled on- site daily, so the freshest and most nutritious bread is always on the shelves. The honey whole wheat bread, for example, contains only flour, water, yeast, honey and salt. Great Harvest’s bread also lasts up to 10 days after baking.
“I tasted and bought their apple cinnamon bread and I really like it,” Danielle Alio, sophomore communication major, said. “Coming from a family that has been around the baking business for years, I know and appreciate the hard work that goes into baking stuff like this. It takes a lot of hard work and passion to really make the taste.”
In an era of corporate takeovers and conglomerations, places like the Great Harvest Bread Company are hard to come by. Not only is it satisfying to find a place to buy comfort food without the guilt of hydrogenated oils, but customers can also be satisfied with the store’s community outreach.
“It’s a really cool business because on one hand you get to make bread from scratch and bakery products every morning that the community can enjoy. On the other hand we’re also really connected to the community,” Blumenstock said.
The Blumenstocks own both the Great Harvest Bread Company at 128 E. Lancaster Ave. in Wayne, as well as a location in the Ardmore Farmer’s Market. Every year they host tours for school children to show them the baking business and donate money to non-profit organizations.
They also strongly believe in keeping their business close to the community, as well as giving back wholesome, locally produced items.
“Whether you’re a young adult starting out or you’re a senior citizen, this is the kind of product people should be eating because you know where it came from and what it’s about,” Blumenstock said.
“How many shops do you go to where they say, ‘Hi, how are you? Would you like a piece of bread?’ Not many,” Kim Blumenstock said. This is indeed their mission: to keep the community smiling through reliable service and baked goods that are good for you.
