What Brod & Taylor does

Brod & Taylor (legally Berkshire Innovations, Inc.) is a privately-held, founder-led home baking equipment company headquartered in North Adams, Massachusetts, with a design shop in Williamstown. Founded by Michael Taylor — who built the first folding proofer to solve a dough-rising problem in a cold South Dakota kitchen — the company designs and sells precision temperature- and humidity-controlled kitchen appliances and accessories for bread making, sourdough maintenance, dehydration, and knife sharpening.

The core product platform centers on fermentation control (Proofer Pro, Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker with 70–195°F range, Sourdough Home with 41–122°F heating/cooling), heat-transfer baking surfaces (Bread Steel, Bread Steel Max, Bread Steel Duo), and shaping/finishing tools (bannetons made from upcycled sugarcane pulp and bamboo, baking shells, peels, knives, and the VG2 professional tungsten-carbide knife sharpener). Supporting SKUs include the Sahara Folding Dehydrator, the Countertop Dough Sheeter, and a layered accessories ecosystem (liners, proofing containers, accessory shelves, half-sheet pans, silicone mats, carrying cases). Differentiation rests on novel folded/collapsible hardware architecture, dual-mode heating-and-cooling in the Sourdough Home, and design recognition (2026 GIA award for bannetons).

The business model is direct-to-consumer one-time hardware sales through owned Shopify storefronts in 12+ country variants (US, UK, Canada, Mexico, France, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Europe, Central/South America), supported by a Dovetale-powered creator/affiliate program, recipe-driven content marketing across social and email, and a charitable-giving program tied to World Central Kitchen with a WeForest carbon-offset checkout. Pricing spans roughly $15 accessories to $999 Proofer Pro, with refurbished SKUs offering a lower entry point. There is no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no retail or marketplace distribution.

Name

Brod & Taylor

Legal name

Berkshire Innovations, Inc.

Website

https://brodandtaylor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brod & Taylor is a privately-held, founder-led direct-to-consumer brand based in Massachusetts that designs and sells precision temperature-controlled proofers, dehydrators, knife sharpeners, bread steels, and bannetons to home bakers and professional chefs across 12+ country-specific storefronts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: One-time hardware sales of baking appliances and tools through direct e-commerce. Products include proofers, dehydrators, bannetons, baking steels, knife sharpeners, and accessories. Spare parts also available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Brod & Taylor designs, manufactures, and sells precision temperature-controlled kitchen appliances and specialty tools for home bakers. The product line centers on fermentation control devices (Folding Proofer, Proofer Pro, Sourdough Home), food preparation tools (Countertop Dough Sheeter, Bread Steel), and knife sharpening systems (VG2 Professional and Classic), along with supporting accessories like bannetons, baking shells, and linen liners.

Product overview

Brod & Taylor is a home baking equipment company offering a focused portfolio of precision tools for bread making, sourdough maintenance, and food preparation. The core product line centers on fermentation control devices (Proofer Pro, Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker, Sourdough Home), heat transfer baking surfaces (Bread Steel, Bread Steel Max, Bread Steel Duo), and shaping tools (Baking Shells, Bannetons, Bread Peel). Supporting products include prep tools (Countertop Dough Sheeter, Dough Whisk, Bench Knife, scales), knife sharpeners (VG2 Professional and Classic), and specialty equipment (Sahara Folding Dehydrator, French Press, Spice Grinder). The ecosystem is designed to work together—for example, Bannetons pair with linen liners, Baking Shells pair with Bread Steel surfaces, and Proofing Containers stack inside the Folding Proofer—enabling bakers to progress from starter maintenance through proofing and baking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker Collapsible proofer and slow cooker with temperature range 70-195°F/21-90°C, designed for proofing dough and slow cooking with humidity control. Made of polypropylene body with aluminum heating plate, folds for compact storage.
• Proofer Pro Professional-grade proofer for precise temperature and humidity control during dough fermentation and proofing.
• Sourdough Home Temperature-controlled starter keeper that both heats and cools (41-122°F/5-50°C) to maintain sourdough starter at optimal temperature, reducing feeding frequency to every 2-5 days. Fits jars up to 1 liter.
• Sahara Folding Dehydrator Foldable dehydrator with dual independent heating circuits (375W each, 750W total), temperature range 85-165°F/30-74°C, dual timer up to 99 hours, for food preservation and dehydration.
• Professional VG2 Knife Sharpener Professional knife sharpener with solid stainless steel base and tungsten carbide sharpening bars (HRC 63/HRC 95), spring-action mechanism that automatically accommodates blade angle, with three-stage sharpening. Safe for Damascus and Japanese-style knives.
• Classic VG2 Knife Sharpener Compact knife sharpener with PA66 nylon base and tungsten carbide sharpening bars for standard and serrated knives.
• Countertop Dough Sheeter 16-inch manual dough sheeter for rolling dough evenly for pastries, croissants, and laminated doughs.
• Bread Steel 14"x14" solid steel baking surface for superior heat transfer, faster preheating, and better oven spring compared to stone or ceramic.
• Bread Steel Max Thicker, heavier 14"x14" steel baking plate with 0.15" thickness for higher heat retention and larger loaves.
• Bread Steel Duo Pre-seasoned solid steel baking plate (20.1" x 15" x 0.15") designed for baking two loaves at once, providing faster heat transfer than stone or ceramic.
• Banneton (Boule) Proofing basket made from upcycled sugarcane pulp and renewable bamboo for shaping and supporting dough during final proof; fits 850g-1kg loaves. Award-winning design at 2026 Global Innovation Awards.
• Banneton (Batard) Elongated proofing basket made from upcycled sugarcane pulp and renewable bamboo for batard-shaped loaves (700-850g). Award-winning design at 2026 Global Innovation Awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced sourdough feeding frequency from daily to every 2-5 days with Sourdough Home
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• World Central KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA portion of Brød and Taylor sales help fund World Central Kitchen and their mission to help communities and economies using the power of food. This is a charitable giving program tied to sales revenue.
• WeForestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon offset program partner through Shop Pay checkout option. Contributions support WeForest's ecological restoration and reforestation efforts worldwide.
• King Arthur FlourminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferenced as recommended supply source for bread pans. Company provides pan fit chart showing which King Arthur Flour pan sizes fit in the Folding Proofer.
• DovetalecoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform powering the Collabs (influencer/creator) program. Handles creator applications, login, and affiliate relationship management for brand ambassadors.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ooni: DTC-first home cooking brand best known for outdoor pizza ovens, with a similar premium-positioning, enthusiast-driven, content-led go-to-market motion. Ooni competes for the same home-baking/pizza-making discretionary spend as Brod & Taylor's Bread Steel Duo and Bread Peel.
• Zojirushi: Japanese small-appliance maker best known for breadmakers and rice cookers with precise temperature/humidity control. Zojirushi's home breadmaker lineup competes most directly with Brod & Taylor's Proofer and Sourdough Home for the same sourdough/artisan buyer.

Broad incumbents

• Breville: Global small kitchen-appliance incumbent with broad retail distribution. Breville competes directly with Brod & Taylor's proofers, dehydrators, and knife sharpeners at the premium end and is a key benchmark for ASPs and channel strategy.
• Cuisinart: Established small-kitchen-appliance brand covering food processors, dehydrators, and specialty baking tools. Cuisinart competes in the same household small-electric-appliance category and anchors the mid-tier price point Brod & Taylor prices above.
• KitchenAid: Whirlpool-owned household small-appliance brand anchored by stand mixers but with a growing proofer, scale, and specialty baking-tool portfolio. Most direct overlap with Brod & Taylor on proofing and baking-prep accessories.
• Instant Brands (Instant Pot): Multi-brand small-kitchen-appliance company (Instant Pot, Pyrex, Corelle, etc.) with broad retail distribution. Competes in the same DTC-to-mass-retail small-electric-appliance space and is a relevant M&A and channel comparison.
• Le Creuset: Premium cookware and bakeware brand with global retail and DTC presence. Le Creuset competes with Brod & Taylor's Baking Shells and bread-baking accessories at the premium end of the home-baking category.
• Vitamix: Premium small-kitchen-appliance brand with strong DTC and content-driven marketing. Vitamix is a relevant benchmark for premium small-electric-appliance positioning, content-led GTM, and direct-to-consumer scale economics.

Emerging players

• Anova Culinary: DTC precision-cooking brand (sous vide, steamers) with a similar premium-enthusiast positioning. Anova competes for share of the same home-baker/foodie wallet with adjacent precision-temperature kitchen devices.
• Lodge Manufacturing: Heritage American cast-iron and bakeware brand with growing DTC motion. Lodge competes with Brod & Taylor's Bread Steel line and bannetons in the artisan home-baking and cookware category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brodandtaylor
• Instagraminstagram.com/brodandtaylor
• Pinterestpinterest.com/brodandtaylor
• Xx.com/brodandtaylor

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Brod & Taylor