From a Chagrin Falls kitchen, North Hill Bakery makes small-batch sourdough wheat crackers using a 36-hour fermentation and all-natural ingredients. The woman-owned Ohio business grew from founder Katy’s pandemic-era sourdough experiments and the encouragement of local neighbors, with its original Black Pepper cracker still at the heart of the line. Its crackers now reach retailers across Ohio and in Chicagoland, ready for snacking or a charcuterie board.
WBENC
Woman-Owned Business
Berlin Natural BakeryIn Ohio’s Amish Country, Berlin Natural Bakery makes small-batch spelt breads and baked goods by hand, with its old-fashioned sourdough fermented for at least 24 hours. The family acquired the bakery in 1997, and third-generation twins Nicole and Nick now carry forward its focus on organic, minimally processed ingredients and simple recipes. Its organic spelt flour is stone-ground on demand, and the bakery’s products remain Non-GMO Project Verified.MILLERSBURG, OH
Crackling Crust MicrobakeryCrackling Crust Microbakery is a hands-on “microbakery” built around naturally fermented bread and a sense of community. Its baker supports nearby farms when possible and uses eggs from a personal flock of hens called “The Divas,” while sharing the craft through local farmers-market baking and sourdough classes.MASON, OH
Brimfield Bread OvenBrimfield Bread Oven grew from Jud and Genevieve Smith’s 2014 cottage bakery into a European-style bakery in Brimfield Township, making scratch bread and pastry with organic grains and local ingredients. Its sourdough breads use 100% organic flour, including Ohio-grown wholegrain spelt, rye and wheat, and the bakery’s breads are hand-shaped and baked in a stone deck oven. The shop opened in 2016 after community support through Kickstarter and remains a gathering place for coffee, pastries and Saturday-night pizza.KENT, OH
Blackbird Baking CompanySince opening in Lakewood in June 2009, husband-and-wife team Tom and Adria Clark have run Blackbird Baking Company as a neighborhood bakery making European-inspired breads and pastries by hand. Tom, a Lakewood native who trained in Portland, brings a baker’s craft to naturally yeasted levain loaves, croissants and the bakery’s award-winning Salted Chocolate Chip cookie. Everything is made from scratch and fresh daily, with ingredients including European butter and free-range eggs from local farmers.LAKEWOOD, OH