Starter Bakery
Starter Bakery is a privately held, founder-owned artisan bakery in Berkeley, California, founded in 2010 by pastry chef Brian Wood. It sells handcrafted Viennoiserie, breads, and pastries through two East Bay retail cafes, Bay Area wholesale, eight farmers markets, and online ordering.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Starter Bakery does
Starter Bakery is a privately held, founder-owned artisan bakery established in 2010 by pastry chef Brian Wood in Berkeley, California. Its core offering is handcrafted Viennoiserie (Kouign Amann, croissants, babka, brioche) and artisan breads built around long fermentation and lamination techniques, supported by quiches, pies, cookies, quickbreads, and scones. Production runs round-the-clock out of a dedicated Berkeley facility on Gilman Street (in operation since 2018) and supplies wholesale customers across the greater Bay Area, including specialty grocers such as Berkeley Bowl and Rainbow Grocery, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and corporate cafeterias, with daily fresh delivery.
The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market model spanning two retail bakery cafes (Rockridge in Oakland opened 2023 and Solano Avenue in Albany opened fall 2025), 8 weekly farmers markets across Oakland, San Ramon, Castro Valley, Livermore, West Oakland, and Niles Fremont, and digital ordering through Shopify and Toast for pickup, local delivery, and gift cards, plus corporate catering via EZCater. Revenue is transactional and unit-priced at the low end of the artisan segment (pastries $4-$8, breads $6-$12, boxed catering $35-$53).
The company has no disclosed external funding, remains founder-controlled, and has expanded through retail site additions, product extensions (e.g., Beignets exclusive to Solano, Dubai Chocolate Kouign Amann), and partnerships including a strategic food-tech collaboration with Savor on climate-friendly alternative-fat butter. Technology integrations (Shopify, Toast, EZCater, Mailchimp, Too Good To Go) are standard for the category and support omnichannel ordering rather than proprietary AI or data capabilities.
Starter Bakery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Starter Bakery
- Legal name
- Starter Bakery
- Website
- https://starterbakery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Starter Bakery is a privately held, founder-owned artisan bakery in Berkeley, California, founded in 2010 by pastry chef Brian Wood. It sells handcrafted Viennoiserie, breads, and pastries through two East Bay retail cafes, Bay Area wholesale, eight farmers markets, and online ordering.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Starter Bakery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Bakery
- NAICS
- Retail Bakeries (311811), Commercial Bakeries (311812), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Food Stores (5400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA), Dessert-First Bakeries (Cupcakes, Cookies, Brownies) (THAFAFAH), Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG)
Keywords
Where Starter Bakery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Starter Bakery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Bakery Cafe Sales: Direct consumer sales at two cafe locations in Rockridge (Oakland) and Solano Ave (Albany) featuring pastries, breads, sandwiches, salads, coffee drinks, and desserts. Open Wednesday through Sunday.
- Wholesale B2B: Wholesale baked goods supplied daily to coffee shops, restaurants, specialty retail grocers, hotels, and company cafeterias throughout the Bay Area. Products include Viennoiserie, breads, quiche, pies, cookies, and quickbreads.
- Farmers Markets: Direct-to-consumer sales at 8 weekly farmers markets across the Bay Area including Grand Lake, Temescal, Montclair, San Ramon, Castro Valley, Livermore, West Oakland, and Niles Fremont markets.
- Catering Services: Catering for corporate events, business meetings, and celebrations offering boxed breakfast, lunch, and sweets options ranging from $37-$53 per box, plus custom orders and coffee service.
- Online Ordering: Online pre-orders for pickup and local delivery through Toast platform, with gift card sales and occasional direct shipping for seasonal items like panettone.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Breakfast Box |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Croissant Box |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lunch Box |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lunch Box No Quiche |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sandwich and Salad Box |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sweets & Treats Box |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee Service |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Starter Bakery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Starter Bakery is an artisan bakery that handcrafts pastries, breads, and Viennoiserie using premium seasonal ingredients, founded by renowned pastry chef Brian Wood in 2010. The company operates a dedicated production facility in Berkeley, two retail bakery cafes in Oakland (Rockridge) and Albany (Solano Avenue), eight weekly farmers market stalls across the Bay Area, and a wholesale distribution arm that delivers fresh daily to coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, specialty grocers, and corporate cafeterias throughout the Bay Area. Core product categories include Kouign Amann, croissants, brioche and babka, hearth breads, quiche, pies, cookies, and quickbreads.
Product overview
Starter Bakery is an artisan bakery offering handcrafted pastries, breads, and baked goods. The product portfolio centers on Viennoiserie items (Kouign Amann in multiple varieties, croissants, brioche, babka), artisan breads (baguettes, sourdough, challah, multigrain loaves), quiches, pies, cookies, quickbreads, and scones. The company operates two retail bakery cafes (Rockridge Oakland and Solano Avenue Albany), a dedicated wholesale production facility in Berkeley, and sells direct-to-consumer at 8 Bay Area farmers markets. Catering services and gift cards round out the consumer-facing offerings. The business began as wholesale operations in 2010 and expanded to retail in 2023, with a second cafe opening in 2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kouign Amann Iconic laminated pastry from Brittany, France, layered with salted butter and sugar and baked in a butter-and-sugar-coated pan for a caramelized exterior and soft, buttery interior. Available in Traditional, Chocolate, Hazelnut Praline, Seasonal, and Dubai Chocolate varieties.
- Croissants All-butter croissants with golden-brown crust and flaky, light interior. Available in Butter, Chocolate, Pretzel, and twice-baked varieties including Almond, Mocha Pecan, and Ham & Cheese.
- Artisan Breads Handcrafted hearth breads including baguettes with natural sourdough fermentation, challah with eggs and honey, olive sourdough, multigrain loaves, sprouted grain bread, and olive oil sourdough pan loaf.
- Quiche Silky custard baked in all-butter crusts available in individual and large formats. Varieties include Quiche Lorraine with bacon and Swiss cheese, Seasonal Vegetable with Parmesan, and Mushroom Spinach with cheddar.
- Pies Hand-cut seasonal fruits in butter or graham cracker crusts. Varieties include Apple Pie with Streusel, Citrus Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Vanilla Peach Pie, Pear Hazelnut Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Pecan Pie.
- Cookies and Bars Artisan cookies including Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie with caramel flavor and sea salt, and Chewy Ginger Cookie with molasses and candied ginger.
- Quickbreads and Scones
Quantifiable outcome
- Voted best bakery in Oakland - Rockridge location
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Starter Bakery
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Starter Bakery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Starter Bakery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.
- SavorstrategicFood-tech partnership with Berkeley-based company developing alternative fats from captured carbon dioxide or methane. Starter Bakery testing Savor butter in croissants - received positive taste test results. Small-batch sales planned for next year as emerging climate-friendly food technology innovation.
- ToastcoreThird-party online ordering platform used for pre-orders, pickup scheduling, and local delivery. All online food and drink orders for both Rockridge and Albany locations are processed through Toast. Gift cards also sold via Toast platform.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform powering the Starter Bakery website. Handles online store, product listings, customer accounts, and transaction processing for direct website orders.
- Too Good To GominorFood waste reduction app partnership for surplus pickup at Gilman Street production facility. Pickups available Monday-Friday through the app as inventory allows.
- EZCatercoreCatering platform partner for corporate catering orders. Enables online ordering of boxed breakfast, lunch, and sweets catering options with delivery options.
- Berkeley Bowl MarketplacecoreSpecialty grocery retailer carrying Starter Bakery baked goods at their marketplace locations.
- Rainbow GrocerycoreCooperative grocery retailer in San Francisco carrying Starter Bakery products.
- Various Coffee ShopscoreWholesale partner segment - bakeries' pastries including Kouign Amann and croissants served at many of the best coffee shops throughout the Bay Area.
- Maker WinesminorSelection of wines available at Rockridge cafe, offered alongside bakery food menu.
- Fieldwork BeerminorSelection of craft beers available at Rockridge cafe, offered alongside bakery food menu.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Starter Bakery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Saint Frank Bakery: Russian Hill neighborhood bakery with a single San Francisco location focused on pastries and breads. Comparable product mix but single-store, single-neighborhood model rather than the multi-channel approach.
Broad incumbents
- SusieCakes: Multi-location specialty bakery chain across California and beyond focused on classic American desserts, cakes, and cookies. Broader incumbent in the specialty bakery category with retail storefronts and gifting/celebration focus.
- Boudin Bakery: Iconic San Francisco sourdough bakery with broad retail, wholesale, and foodservice presence across California. Wide-portfolio incumbent in the Bay Area bakery category with significant scale advantage in breads and sandwiches.
Direct peers
- Arizmendi Bakery: Worker-cooperative bakery with multiple East Bay/Bay Area locations producing artisan breads and pastries with a community/local-food focus. Comparable product mix, East Bay wholesale and retail footprint, and emphasis on hand-crafted quality.
- La Farine Boulangerie Patisserie: Berkeley-based French bakery with multiple East Bay locations producing artisan breads, viennoiserie, and pastries. Closely comparable product mix, immediate East Bay geography, and retail-plus-wholesale model.
- Breadbelly: San Francisco artisan bakery and cafe known for naturally leavened breads and viennoiserie with a small multi-location footprint. Comparable Bay Area retail-cafe-plus-wholesale artisan model with a chef-founder profile.
- Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based artisan bakery founded in 2002 with a flagship retail cafe, wholesale distribution, and a national reputation for hand-crafted breads and pastries. Closest direct comparable in product mix (Viennoiserie, sourdough), retail-cafe-plus-wholesale model, and Bay Area cult-brand positioning.
- Jane on Larkin: San Francisco bakery-cafe known for laminated pastries and lamination-focused craft, with a small retail footprint. Directly comparable artisan viennoiserie emphasis and Bay Area positioning.
- Mr. Holmes Bakehouse: San Francisco bakery with cult-brand identity around flavored cruffins and pastries, multiple retail locations, and strong social media/press presence. Directly comparable in artisan positioning, Bay Area geography, and signature-pastry-led brand building.
- b. patisserie: San Francisco artisan bakery specializing in kouign amann, viennoiserie, and French pastries with retail cafe and a strong cult following. Highly comparable signature product (kouign amann) and Bay Area positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Starter Bakery social profiles
Digital presenceStarter Bakery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Starter Bakery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Starter Bakery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Starter Bakery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Starter Bakery
What does Starter Bakery do?
Starter Bakery is an artisan bakery that handcrafts pastries, breads, and Viennoiserie using premium seasonal ingredients, founded by renowned pastry chef Brian Wood in 2010. The company operates a dedicated production facility in Berkeley, two retail bakery cafes in Oakland (Rockridge) and Albany (Solano Avenue), eight weekly farmers market stalls across the Bay Area, and a wholesale distribution arm that delivers fresh daily to coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, specialty grocers, and corporate cafeterias throughout the Bay Area. Core product categories include Kouign Amann, croissants, brioche and babka, hearth breads, quiche, pies, cookies, and quickbreads.
Is Starter Bakery a public or private company?
Starter Bakery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Starter Bakery founded?
Starter Bakery was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Starter Bakery based?
Starter Bakery is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Starter Bakery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Bakery Cafe Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale B2B, farmers Markets, catering Services and online Ordering.
Who are Starter Bakery's main competitors?
Saint Frank Bakery is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are SusieCakes and Boudin Bakery. Direct peers are Arizmendi Bakery, La Farine Boulangerie Patisserie, Breadbelly, Tartine Bakery, Jane on Larkin, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse and b. patisserie.
Does Starter Bakery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Starter Bakery.
What industry is Starter Bakery in?
Starter Bakery's product category is Artisan Bakery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAFAG, Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice), with a secondary code of THAFAFAA, Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery). Its NAICS code is 311811 and its SIC code is 2050.