Wild Bread Sourdough Bakehouse 2.52

Welcome to our crowdfunding campaign!

This is an invitation to pledge money to a vibrant and growing local food business that is putting nutritious Real Sourdough Bread at the heart of the community. We are appealing to people both near and far who have a commitment to buying local produce and who would like their money to help build a healthier, fairer and more enduring food system.

We are crowdfunding for £8,000 to:

i) buy a bigger and better bread oven, specifically a Tom Chandley Compacta professional deck oven (www.chandleyovens.co.uk).

ii) create meaningful jobs and training opportunities through apprenticeships.

iii) meet current demand for our loaves and continue to share the goodness of sourdough with a greater number of people.

iv) be active participants in the Real Bread Revolution!

Why are we crowdfunding?
We are a small, ethical, community business with a very modest turnover. As such we are unable to borrow money through conventional ways and so cannot fund the purchase of essential new equipment by ourselves.


Who and What are Wild Bread?
Wild Bread is an artisan bakehouse based in Faversham, Kent, founded in early 2013 by James and Hannah Parathian-Thorn. We are passionate about baking Real and nutritious sourdough bread for our local community, and want it to be available to as many people as possible. As active members of the Real Bread Campaign and supporters of the Slow Food Movement, we recognise the benefits of slow-paced organic food production and the links between people, planet, politics and plate.

Our aim from the beginning has been to create a viable community business which serves local people by making good, honest, wholesome bread using local and organic ingredients. Our vision over the next three years is i) to create training and education opportunities through employment, apprenticeships and baking classes and ii) to make our bread more widely available and on more days of the week. These objectives will enable more people to enjoy the benefits of bread made in an artisan tradition using slow, natural fermentation methods. Bread made in this way is more nutritious, digestible, flavoursome, and keeps really well without the need for added preservatives.

The last two years has seen Wild Bread move from a small home kitchen producing a dozen loaves per week, to operating out of a shared space at Macknade Fine Foods (an award winning food hall on the outskirts of Faversham town centre) with the capacity to bake 250 loaves per week. Bread is currently sold three days a week at local food markets, shops, cafes and restaurants in Faversham and Canterbury, as well as through a home delivery subscription service. Selling out every week, demand for Wild Bread is ever increasing, and now, having recently moved to a larger bakehouse on site at Macknade Fine Foods we are expanding to meet this demand. Most recently we have begun developing and running mindful baking workshops which promote the therapeutic benefits of baking.


What We Need & What You Get
Obtaining the funds we need to buy a bigger and better professional bread oven is the next essential step to ensure the future sustainability of Wild Bread. The sourdough bread-making process works its magic through long fermentation which means it takes time. We cannot, and would not want to, speed up the process, which would in turn compromise the quality of the bread. The only way we can increase production to meet current demand and stay true to our ethos is with the right oven.

Our current 12 to 20 loaf capacity bread oven has served us well but is now somewhat burnt out! By reaching our crowdfunding target of £8,000, we will receive £7,600 which will buy us a Tom Chandley Compacta three deck six tray professional bakery oven. This has the capacity to bake three times as many loaves in one go! The new oven doesn't, however, just mean we'll be able to bake more, but will also allow for the creation of highly-rewarding employment and apprenticeship opportunities in artisan bread-making, and continue to produce sourdough bread of the highest quality. If we do not reach our target, then quite simply, we won't be able to afford the oven we need to make a real difference.

By pledging money to our crowdfunding campaign you will in return benefit from our unique perks, which include anything from a limited edition illustrated bread recipe by local artist Jonny Dixon (www.jonnydixon.co.uk) to an exclusive invitation for you and three friends to a Kentish producers taster evening at Macknade Fine Foods in Faversham.


The Wider Impact
By supporting our campaign you will be ensuring that more people will have access to the best, most nourishing bread around. Your pledge will also be an invaluable endorsement of small-scale local artisan food producers who are paving the way for food which is better both for ourselves and for the planet.


Risks & Challenges
Although a bakery is a place where dough always rises, we are prepared for the possibility of facing tough challenges on our route to achieving our goals and targets. We have identified a number of factors which we feel will clear any significant obstacles standing in our way:

•Wild Bread has been established for over two and a half years and already has a loyal customer base.

•The bakehouse is located at the award-winning and dynamic Macknade Fine Foods, which attracts thousands of visitors, many of whom care about the provenance of the food they buy.

•Additional income not normally earned by bakeries will accrue from education and training activities that reflect Wild Bread’s community ethos.


Other Ways You Can Help
If you are unable to contribute financially towards our campaign then please see below for some other ways you can help:

Get the word out and make some noise about 'The Rise of Wild Bread!' by using the Indiegogo share tools and other social media platforms.
Contact us to tell us what perks and rewards you can contribute to our supporters.
Join our mailing list and become a member of The Real Bread Campaign.