“We feed people – we have something for everyone” says co-founder Amanda Bedell with Phebe Rossi of Nuflours Bakery. Together, Phebe and Amanda pride themselves in serving up a variety of options for every body, from gluten-free to dairy-free, paleo, vegan, soy, corn, peanut –free, and more. You walk in and everything looks delicious, because it’s made with you in mind. You can ask for dairy-free, and be shown a variety of goods. Soy-free? Here’s a different set of goodies. Gluten-free? You get the idea. You will find something to eat no matter what – and it will be good.
If you’ve ever needed to exclude a food from your diet, the owners’ stories will sound familiar. They were both told to go gluten-free in 2007, but immediately started craving their comfort foods (that of course were filled with gluten). Phebe had grown up on a farm cooking and baking, and decided to challenge herself to develop recipes that were gluten free, but still delicious. When she reached a point where her friends had no idea they were eating a gluten-free birthday cake, a business plan and recipe portfolio started taking shape. At the same time, Amanda was told to be gluten-free and headed to the grocery store, but was unhappy with the items she could find to purchase – so much so that she ended up throwing most of it away. She wanted diversity of product, with substantial, healthy, and well-balanced options, and everything she could find was woefully lacking. When the pair finally met in 2012, they were both ready to dive in and drive Nuflours Bakery together.
Nuflours Bakery has been in business since 2011, starting at a farmers market and adding their Capital Hill location in 2014. They grew from the beginning through word of mouth and customer loyalty and retention. Today, customers come from all over the Puget Sound area, and the pair even sells their products wholesale to cafes, restaurants and grocery stores. Phebe is inspired by eliminating the depression that some people feel about food: “I love feeding people – being able to impact lives in a positive way.” Upon overhearing Phebe share this passion, a devoted customer even came over to the table to share that she comes to Nuflours Bakery because she doesn’t feel limited or disheartened: “I’m in a safe place.”
Surprisingly, the company works hard to positively impact the community by not only having something for everyone’s diet, but also through their employees. “We hire people in transition,” says Amanda. Nuflours Bakery provides their employees with meaningful, fair work, with opportunities to “step up or out into better paying jobs.” They work with local Seattle organizations like FareStart, YouthCare, Street Bean, New Horizons and more to be part of the solution in Seattle. “It’s fun to see how our business changes and grows with each new employee,” says Amanda.
From a grassroots beginning, to Best Women Owned Business winners of Business Impact NW’s Impact Pitch, and many other accolades, the duo are now poised for their next step thanks to a bridge loan that will help them rework their production flow for wholesale, and upgrade equipment. They even plan to open a production facility in a new space to “take it to the next level.”
Watch for Nuflours Bakery goods at your local café or grocery the next time you’re in. In the meantime, browse some of their goodies online, then check out where from Mill Creek to Tacoma their baked goods are sold, or even order delivery. Hungry yet? For the biggest selection and best service, head over to Nuflours Bakery today at 518 15th Ave E, Seattle WA 98112.
