By Alauna Yust
Nate Houge and Micah Taylor founded Brake Bread – St. Paul, Minnesota’s premiere Community Support Bakery that delivers fresh bread to its customers by bicycle. They’re all about three things: bread, biking, and building a sustainable community.
For Houge and Taylor, sustainability isn’t just a buzz word. It’s an ethos that they carry out in a myriad of ways. From opting for zero-emission bike deliveries to the BizRecycling grant they received that helped reduce their waste to half a residential waste bin per week, their business decisions are made for the long-term health of both their business and community.
The sustainability of joy.
Even before I set foot in the bakery, a customer saw me coming with my cart of video equipment and rushed to open the door. I was blasted with the scent of freshly baked bread as I entered and instantly flash-backed to childhood trips to the bakery with my dad.
“I think food puts us together,” says Houge. “It helps us remember who we are… And so to be a small part of that is such an incredible honor, and I love that I get to say that’s part of my job.”
It’s clear that Houge and his team know nearly every customer who comes through the doors. They take time to chat about the new law firm being built across the street, ask about each other’s families, and even walk people to their vehicles. Undoubtedly, there’s a strong sense of care and community within the walls of this bakery.
“Okay, last question,” I coached. “What do you love about your job?”
“Right in this room right now?”Houge started pointing to every person in the bakery, and said, “I’m gonna say Lee, Eleanor, Jim, Micah, Linda, Cori, and Grace,” and laughed – joyfully.
This video is part of “Living for the City,” a Rewire initiative made possible by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Rewire
© Twin Cities Public Television – 2017. All rights reserved.
