Meet Blakeney’s Bakery
What made you decide to become bakers?
We actually started this business quite by accident. We were purchasing bread from our friend Craige and Santina Bohanon at the Contoocook Farmers Market and, when they decided to retire, we asked if they would teach us how to make boules so we could continue to have it if they didn’t sell their business. After they showed us how, they told their customers and we started to get calls asking if we would consider doing the farmers markets so they could also still get the bread. We have always love to bake, so, we decided to try it and figured it would also help us with college tuition for our children.
Our first market was in August 2013 and we sold out of everything we had in 1.5 hours. We have since renovated the back part of our home to create a designated baking space. We now do multiple markets and sell into retail stores as well. We are in our 8th year and going stronger than we ever imagined.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Figuring out what items to bring to various markets. It is so hard to determine what products will be popular in what areas. Every area is different.
Foot traffic varies as well. We have been working on preparing Gluten and vegan options for some of our products. We want to have something for everyone. The other challenge is making sure that we also have time as a family. We both have full time jobs in addition to our Bakery. We love doing it and are always making sure that we don’t overextend ourselves. Our goal has always been to provide a variety of flavored breads and other baked goods to our customers without compromising the quality of our product. We have remained a family run business.
What has been your biggest reward?
We have become more a part of our community and other communities now through farmers Markets and selling our product into retail stores. We have met amazing people who have become valued customers and dear friends. We love how we can partner with other vendors to help sell their products along with ours. We pride ourselves in purchasing ingredients from our local vendors that we use in our baked goods. It is a wonderful network of people all working to bring locally grown and produced goods to our customers. We have also been able to contribute to local food pantries year- round to support and help those in need of food. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to help others.
