Great Harvest Franchising

What Great Harvest Franchising does

Great Harvest Franchising, LLC is a privately held bakery cafe franchise system headquartered in Dillon, Montana. Founded in 1976 by Pete and Laura Wakeman in Great Falls, MT with franchise operations commencing in 1978, the company supports 175-200+ independently owned and operated bakery cafes across all 50 U.S. states. Each franchisee location stone-mills whole wheat flour on-site daily from proprietary-sourced Montana Golden Triangle wheat, used within 48 hours of milling, and bakes a signature five-ingredient Honey Whole Wheat bread alongside a cafe menu of sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, breakfast items, and baked goods.

The underlying technology and operating system centers on a vertically integrated Montana wheat supply chain with full kernel-to-loaf traceability, a centralized R&D bakery in Dillon that conducts at least 100 test bakes per year, and digital infrastructure including the Great Harvest Rewards mobile app (iOS/Android, powered by Paytronix), gift card processing through Mercury Payment Systems, and online ordering. Franchisee support spans real estate, design and build-out, training, marketing, and wheat testing; the system also runs a Hub & Spoke multi-unit development model and a $8.99/month Bottomless Mug Coffee Subscription to drive repeat traffic.

Revenue is generated primarily through franchise fees, ongoing royalties, and supply chain fees on proprietary wheat and ingredients supplied to franchisees, supplemented by system-level subscription and gift card revenue. Franchisees operate their own retail stores with an average unit volume of $948,105. In October 2024, NewSpring Franchise completed a private equity investment to accelerate franchise development, supply chain enhancements, and marketing. Current CEO John Dikos joined from MOD Pizza, Qdoba, and Killer Burger to lead the next growth phase.

Name

Great Harvest Franchising

Legal name

Great Harvest Franchising, LLC

Website

https://greatharvest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Harvest Franchising is a privately held, Montana-based bakery cafe franchise system operating 175-200+ independently owned locations across all 50 U.S. states, specializing in daily fresh-milled whole grain bread from Montana Golden Triangle wheat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bakery Cafe Franchise

NAICS

Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Commercial Bakeries (311812), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bakery Foodservice Supply Wholesale (Bulk/Institutional) (AFAIAFAJ), Baking Ingredients & Mixes Wholesale (Flour, Sugar, Yeast, Improvers) (AFAIAFAD)

Keywords

• Bakery cafe franchise
• Whole grain bread
• Franchise business services
• Stone-milled flour
• Bakery retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Dillon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalty Revenue: Great Harvest generates revenue primarily through franchise fees paid by new franchisees, ongoing royalty payments from its 175-200 independently owned and operated bakery cafe locations across the United States, and supply chain fees for proprietary Montana wheat and ingredients.
2. Retail Bakery Cafe Sales: Each independently owned Great Harvest bakery cafe generates revenue from retail sales of fresh-baked breads, breakfast items, cafe sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, goodies (cookies, bars, scones, brownies, teacakes), and beverages. The average unit volume is reported at $948,105.
3. Bottomless Mug Coffee Subscription: A monthly recurring subscription priced at $8.99 plus tax, providing one drip hot coffee every two hours during normal bakery-cafe business hours, including free refills at participating locations. Billed monthly via the Great Harvest Rewards Program Account.
4. Gift Card Sales: Gift cards sold at participating Great Harvest locations and through the website. Gift card sales do not earn rewards points for the purchaser but recipients with a Rewards account will earn points when using the gift card.
5. Great Harvest Rewards Program: Points-based loyalty program where customers earn 1 point per dollar spent on qualifying purchases. Rewards are earned at 75 points (free goodie) and 150 points (free loaf, sandwich, or salad). Birthday month rewards and exclusive promotions are also offered. Administered by Paytronix Systems, Inc.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Great Harvest Franchising operates a franchise system for bakery cafes that mill whole wheat flour on-site daily from Montana-grown wheat and sell fresh-baked breads, sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, and baked goods. The franchisor generates revenue through franchise fees, ongoing royalties, and supply chain support for approximately 175-200 independently owned and operated bakery cafe locations across the United States.

Product overview

Great Harvest Franchising operates as a bakery cafe franchise system offering a portfolio of scratch-made whole grain bread products and cafe food items. The core product is the bakery cafe concept featuring fresh-milled Montana wheat bread (including signature Honey Whole Wheat, Dakota, Cinnamon Chip, and High 5 Fiber varieties), alongside cafe items (sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, breakfast items) and assorted goodies (cookies, bars, brownies, scones). The company supplements its core offerings with digital services including the Great Harvest Rewards loyalty program, Bottomless Mug Coffee Subscription, gift cards, online ordering, and shipping options. The franchise model allows independent entrepreneurs to own and operate bakery cafes under the Great Harvest brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Great Harvest Bakery Cafe Franchise
• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
• Dakota Bread
• Cinnamon Chip Bread
• High 5 Fiber Bread
• Cafe Menu (Sandwiches, Salads, Grain Bowls)
• Bakery Cafe Breakfast
• Goodies (Cookies, Bars, Brownies, Teacakes)
• Great Harvest Rewards Program
• Bottomless Mug Coffee Subscription
• Gift Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• Average Unit Volume of $948,105 across the franchise system
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Paytronix Systems, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationPaytronix Systems, Inc. serves as Great Harvest's third-party loyalty program processor, maintaining all Great Harvest Rewards Program member data including identification information, purchase history, and payment information for the Bottomless Mug Coffee Subscription. Paytronix's privacy policy and terms govern all loyalty transactions.
• Mercury Payment Systems, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationMercury Payment Systems, LLC is Great Harvest's third-party credit and gift card processor. All financial data for gift card purchases is transferred directly through Mercury and is not maintained on the Great Harvest website. Mercury's privacy policy and terms govern all gift card transactions.
• UserWayminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUserWay is a third-party accessibility consulting organization engaged by Great Harvest to help bring its website into conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AAA as set forth by the W3C. UserWay provides an accessibility widget powered by a dedicated accessibility server that offers user-triggered enhancements including increased font size, paused animations, and changed color contrast.
• CignaminorOthersGreat Harvest offers a health plan (Cafeteria Plan and Health Insurance) to home office employees through Cigna. This is referenced in the employment page as part of the benefits package offered to employees at the corporate office in Dillon, MT.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Nothing Bundt Cakes: Nothing Bundt Cakes is a rapidly scaling specialty bakery franchise focused on bundt cakes — comparable to Great Harvest as a category-defining bakery franchise with a similar franchise-led growth model and average unit volumes in the same range.
• Crumbl Cookies: Crumbl is a fast-growing specialty cookie and dessert bakery franchise with a similar franchise-led expansion model, comparable store-level economics, and comparable audience of treat-oriented bakery consumers.
• Breadsmith: Breadsmith is a small-batch artisan bakery franchise baking hearth-style breads daily from scratch — directly comparable to Great Harvest's fresh-from-scratch, stone-milled positioning and franchise model, though narrower in cafe offering.

Direct peers

• Panera Bread: Panera is the largest bakery-cafe franchise concept in the U.S., serving fresh-baked breads, sandwiches, soups, and salads in a cafe setting — a directly comparable category to Great Harvest's bakery cafe model, with significantly greater scale and national brand recognition.
• Kneaders Bakery & Cafe: Kneaders operates a regional chain of bakery cafes with scratch-made breads, sandwiches, soups, and pastries, with a similar scratch-baking identity and cafe dining model that directly competes with Great Harvest in shared markets.
• Au Bon Pain: Au Bon Pain is a bakery cafe chain serving fresh-baked breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and pastries in a cafe environment — a comparable concept to Great Harvest in product mix, although with a stronger urban/commuter location footprint.
• Paris Baguette: Paris Baguette is a rapidly expanding bakery cafe franchise with a similar cafe-and-fresh-baked-bread model, including sandwiches, pastries, and beverages — directly comparable in offering, target customer, and franchise-led growth strategy.
• Einstein Bros Bagels: Einstein Bros is a franchise-based bakery-cafe chain serving bagels, sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods — a direct comparable to Great Harvest in the bakery cafe category, particularly for breakfast and lunch dayparts.
• Corner Bakery Cafe: Corner Bakery Cafe operates a franchise system of neighborhood bakery cafes offering freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, and baked goods — directly comparable in product mix, daypart focus, and franchise model to Great Harvest's bakery cafe concept.

Broad incumbents

• Tim Hortons: Tim Hortons is a large established bakery-and-coffee QSR franchise serving baked goods, sandwiches, and coffee across thousands of North American locations — a broader incumbent that overlaps with Great Harvest on the bakery-cafe morning daypart and franchise-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GreatHarvest
• Facebookfacebook.com/68235916226
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-harvest-bread-co.
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatharvest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Harvest Franchising