Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Kramer.
Hi Dustin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In January of 2020, I was watching YouTube videos on how to make kombucha. One of the “watch next” suggestions was about making sourdough bread. Naturally, I watched that video too—then another, and another, and more after that.
Not long after, my sister-in-law purchased a sourdough starter online. The two of us, with zero knowledge and following a pretty basic YouTube video, attempted our first loaf. Looking back, it was terrible—rushed, under-proofed, gummy, with giant air holes. But we didn’t know any better and thought it was amazing. That moment sparked everything.
She left the starter with me, and I continued experimenting and baking. There were lots of failed attempts, but also a lot learned through trial and error.
I also want to make it very clear that I was not a pandemic baker. I had shown interest and gotten into sourdough well before the pandemic started and the trend picked up. With that said, in June of 2020, I finally pulled a loaf out of the oven that was it—the loaf I had been working toward for months.
With a background in graphic design and marketing, I jokingly made a logo and posted it—along with a photo of the loaf—on my Instagram, captioned: “Thinking of starting a bread company.”
Shortly after, through friends, I was invited to set up at a market to sell my bread. In the weeks leading up to it, I finalized logos, made some t-shirts, gathered the necessities for a booth, and started figuring out how I was going to produce enough bread for the market. At the time, I had two Dutch ovens, which was how all the bread was baked.
I ended up bringing eight loaves to the market, scratching my head and wondering how I was going to unload all eight. I sold four of them to other vendors before the market even started. As you can guess, I sold out. And that’s pretty much how things went for a while. I continued attending that market, bringing more bread each time and growing little by little.
All of this was happening out of my second-floor condo in Florida—just 750 square feet. I was hand-mixing everything and baking four loaves at a time in my home oven. It would take about three hours to bake a dozen loaves.
In October of 2022, I purchased a RackMaster RM2020, an in-home, cottage-baker–style deck oven. It has three decks and allowed me to bake 12 loaves at a time—a major game changer. I was still hand-mixing everything and still operating out of my Florida condo, but at this point the goal had shifted to opening an actual bakery.
Commercial locations and rent were very high in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, and I wasn’t ready—or in a position—to open a full-fledged bakery.
I had completely outgrown my condo and needed a dedicated production space to keep up with demand. At the same time, I had a house in Ohio that was just sitting there. I devised a plan to move back to Ohio, turn the garage into a bakery, and essentially start over.
In May of 2024, I made the move back to Ohio and began construction on the garage bakery. Once it was finished, I started attending Ohio farmers markets to build a new following. In late summer of 2024, I was approached by Market 42 about opening a bakery inside their space. I agreed and began building that bakery in January of 2025.
We opened the doors to our retail bakery on May 2, 2025—and the rest is history. We’ve been making bread for our community and loving every minute of it. We also supply bread to several local restaurants and the HIPP Private Club at Rocket Arena during Cavaliers games.
We will continue to expand our offerings and locations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Almost every stage came with its own set of challenges.
In the early days, the biggest struggle was simply not knowing what I didn’t know. I was teaching myself a craft with no formal training, learning through mistakes, failed loaves, and a lot of trial and error. Consistency was hard, and progress was slow at times.
As the bread improved and demand grew, the challenges became more logistical. Producing enough bread out of a small condo kitchen meant long hours, physical exhaustion, and constantly working around equipment limitations. Hand-mixing dough, baking four loaves at a time, and trying to scale without a real production space pushed everything—and everyone—involved to the limit.
Moving from Florida back to Ohio was another major hurdle. Starting over in a new market meant rebuilding a customer base from scratch, investing in construction for the garage bakery, and taking on significant risk without any guarantee it would work.
Opening a retail bakery brought an entirely new set of challenges. Baking great bread is one thing—running a business, managing people, navigating regulations, and making daily decisions that impact the livelihood of others is another. The transition from being a one-person operation to leading a team required a completely different skill set.
None of it has been easy, but each challenge forced growth. Every obstacle shaped how we operate today and reinforced the importance of patience, adaptability, and staying committed to doing things the right way—even when the harder path was the only option.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At our core, we’re a naturally leavened bakery focused on traditional sourdough bread. Everything we make starts with a long fermentation process, simple ingredients, and a commitment to doing things the right way rather than the fast way. Our specialty is hearth-style sourdough—bread with depth of flavor, structure, and character—along with a rotating lineup of seasonal and specialty loaves.
What we’re most known for is consistency and intention. Sourdough can vary wildly from bake to bake, and a lot of work goes into controlling fermentation, timing, and technique to ensure each loaf meets the same standard. We take that responsibility seriously, whether the bread is going on a customer’s table at home or being served in a restaurant.
What we’re most proud of is building something meaningful from the ground up—starting with a single starter and a home oven and growing into a bakery that serves our local community every day. We’ve been able to create a space where people can reconnect with real bread, ask questions, and understand why it’s made the way it is.
What sets us apart is our approach. We don’t chase trends or shortcuts. We focus on craft, education, and transparency—helping customers understand that sourdough isn’t a flavor, it’s a process. Everything we do is rooted in patience, respect for the craft, and a genuine desire to make food that’s honest, nourishing, and made with care.
What does success mean to you?
Success, to me, isn’t about rapid growth or chasing scale for the sake of it. It’s about building something sustainable—something that can last and continue to serve people well over time.
Success means making bread we’re proud to put our name on every single day, and knowing our customers trust us to do things with care and intention. It means creating a workplace where people feel respected, challenged, and valued, and where the craft still matters as much as the business.
It’s also about balance. Being able to grow thoughtfully without losing sight of why we started in the first place—simple ingredients, honest food, and real connection with our community.
If we can continue to improve our craft, support our team, and be a meaningful part of the community we serve, then we’re doing exactly what we set out to do. To me, that’s success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atticusbreadco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atticusbreadco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atticusbreadco/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@atticusbreadco
