From Countertop to Café

If you had told me a few years ago that I'd be running a cottage bakery out of my kitchen in Gilbert, Arizona, I probably would've smiled and told you you’re crazy.

But here we are: flour-dusted countertops, a fridge full of bubbling sourdough starter, and the steady rhythm of dough rising and ovens humming. This is where FLOUR. began: in our home kitchen, and in a notebook full of sketches and logo ideas.

One of the first loaves with the signature “F.” logo stenciled on top.

When I started baking out of my home, I knew I wanted to do more than just sell good bread at a weekly porch pick up. I wanted to build something that felt bigger. Something that reflected not just my craft as a baker, but that could grow into a real business one day.

You see, before FLOUR. became a bakery, it was an idea that lived both in my hands and in my head. With some experience in graphic design, I created a visual identity that felt as honest and intentional as the bread itself—simple, bold, and rooted in craft. Every detail—the name, the typeface, the way I wrap a loaf—is a piece of a much bigger dream: one day, that same logo will hang above the door of my own café.

FLOUR. is more than a name. It’s a vision.

For now, FLOUR. is still a home-based bakery, operating under Arizona’s cottage food law. Each week, I bake in small batches for local customers who’ve discovered that real sourdough just hits different. It’s a rhythm of prep, shape, proof, and bake—mixed in with customer messages, pick-up day smiles, and more than a few floury fingerprints on my phone.

It’s not flashy. It’s definitely not fast. But it’s real—and that’s the whole point.

I'm growing FLOUR. the same way I grow my bread: slowly, intentionally, and with care.

On the Horizon: Farmers Markets & Future Plans

The next step for FLOUR. is to start showing up in more places around town—beginning with local farmers markets. I can’t wait to set up a booth filled with golden loaves and hand out bread face to face. Meeting customers in person, sharing stories, answering questions—that’s what excites me most.

It’s about community. It’s about showing up, loaf in hand, and saying: this is for you.

And one day, not so far off, that brand I designed in my notebook will live on the front door of a real bakery. A cozy, neighborhood space where the bread is always fresh, the coffee is strong, and the counter is full of connection.

Why FLOUR. Matters to Me

Cottage baking is messy and tiring and deeply rewarding. It’s early mornings, dough under your fingernails, and a fridge that's always full of something fermenting. But it’s also the joy of seeing a perfectly risen loaf. It's the kind notes from customers who tell me this is the best bread they’ve had in years. It’s hearing, “This reminds me of home.”

FLOUR. is the combination of all the things I love: the craft of baking, the creativity of design, and the dream of building something meaningful from the ground up. Something honest. Something lasting.

So thank you—for supporting this little home-based bakery and the big dream behind it. Every order, every loaf, every kind word brings me one step closer to turning FLOUR. into that café with the sign on the door.

With love and floury hands,

Ellen
Founder and Head Baker at FLOUR.