Grainswest - Tech 2024

Tech 2024 Grains West 50 AGAINST GRAIN THE W hen CommunityVotes Edmon- ton declared its 2023 winning bakeries, The Farmhouse Bakery tied with Freson Bros. for the popularity contest’s top award. While Freson is an Alberta grocery chain, Farmhouse is a small operation with an outsized reputation. “We’re a little bakery on a farm,” said Jerry Krause, who handles sales for the family business. “Just a farm wife who likes to bake, really,” said his wife Nadine, Farm- house’s self-taught head baker. And bake she does: 10 varieties of sourdough bread, spelt breads and various bread buns as well as birthday cakes, biscuits, butter horns, butter tarts, cinnamon buns (including her signature orange and coconut varia- tion), cookies, cream pies, cupcakes, fruit pies and muffins. Located near Bittern Lake, the bak- ery was formerly the Krauses’ living room and attached garage and fea- tures several dough mixers and five commercial ovens. Customers can ar- range pickup orders at the farm or visit the Farmhouse kiosk at Edmonton’s Bountiful Farmers’ Market. This sum- mer, the Krauses also joined markets in Camrose and Crossfield. The couple launched their val- ue-added business to boost the finan- cial stability of their grain operation after losing much of their 2016 crop to hail. Longtime growers of barley, canola and CPS wheat, they now supply Little bakery, big joy their flour needs with their own spelt and Park wheat, a spring heritage vari- ety. Taste and quality have earned re- peat customers, but the fact they grow their own grain and mill it the day it’s baked is a huge selling feature. Farmhouse staff include a full-time baker, two assistants, one of whom is fiancé to the Krauses’ eldest son and business partner Nathaniel. Younger son Matthew recently took a full-time sales position with the business. “We’re farming and running this bakery as a family,” said Nadine. “I can look out my window and see our grain growing and my husband and son doing the field work. That’s pretty special, and it gives me so much joy. How many fami- lies can say that?” The Farmhouse Bakery is situated on the Krause family farm near Bittern Lake, and their kiosk at Edmonton's Bountiful Farmers' Market is well-stocked with baked goods. Photo:CourtesyofTheFarmhouseBakery