Mother Dough Bakery
Mother Dough Bakery is a privately held Minneapolis bakery and café founded by Chef David Fhima, selling Parisian-style breads, pastries, and grab-and-go lunches made in-house from a 130-year-old family sourdough starter across multiple downtown retail locations and catering venues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mother Dough Bakery does
Mother Dough Bakery is a privately held, direct-to-consumer Parisian-style bakery and café founded in 2021 in downtown Minneapolis by Chef David Fhima and his son Eli Fhima, operating under the legal entity Fhima Family, LLC. The business sells artisan breads, pastries, grab-and-go lunches, coffee and tea, charcuterie boards, and social-hour items made in-house daily using traditional Parisian baking techniques and a 130-year-old sourdough mother dough starter inherited from Chef Fhima's great-great grandmother, originating in Casablanca, Morocco. Its core technology is the living biological starter culture itself, combined with daily in-house production of all breads, pastries, dressings, and sauces.
The company operates three active retail locations — Capella Tower (Fireside and Skyway), The Vicinity Apartments in the Mill District, and the US Bancorp Center (1st Floor and Skyway) — with a fourth location at Maison Margaux announced as coming soon. Distribution is exclusively through owned physical storefronts plus Toast Tab-powered online ordering for in-person pickup; no third-party delivery, wholesale, or shipping channels are used. Revenue streams include retail counter sales, online pickup orders, gift cards sold through Toast Tab, and a private events and catering line that rents event spaces (up to 50 guests) at multiple locations for corporate and social occasions.
The go-to-market is entirely organic and local: marketing runs through Instagram, Facebook, and earned media in Twin Cities publications (Star Tribune, Eater Twin Cities, MSP Magazine, Axios Twin Cities). The business is self-funded with no institutional investors, private equity, or public listing, and has recently expanded through a strategic partnership with real estate developer Sherman Associates, which places Mother Dough locations within Sherman properties including Vicinity Apartments and the Harmonia development at 255 2nd Avenue South.
Mother Dough Bakery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mother Dough Bakery
- Legal name
- Fhima Family, LLC
- Website
- https://motherdoughbakery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mother Dough Bakery is a privately held Minneapolis bakery and café founded by Chef David Fhima, selling Parisian-style breads, pastries, and grab-and-go lunches made in-house from a 130-year-old family sourdough starter across multiple downtown retail locations and catering venues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mother Dough Bakery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Bakery
- NAICS
- Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Commercial Bakeries (311812)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC), Bakery Grab-and-Go (Pastries, Packaged Desserts, Takeaway Bread) (CRAHAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Mother Dough Bakery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Mother Dough Bakery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Bakery Sales: In-store sales of freshly baked Parisian breads, pastries, sandwiches, salads, charcuterie boards, and beverages including coffee and tea. Customers can order grab-and-go items or dine in for breakfast, lunch, and social hour.
- Online Ordering: Pre-ordering via Toast Tab platform for pickup at three Minneapolis locations. Customers browse menu and place orders in advance for convenient pickup.
- Private Events and Catering: Rental of event spaces at Vicinity (up to 50 guests), Capella Fireside (up to 50 guests), and Capella Skyway (30-40 guests) for receptions, group lunches, and social hours. Also provides catering services for off-site events.
- Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards through Toast Tab platform, enabling customers to purchase prepaid cards for gifting or personal use at any location.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Mother Dough Bakery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mother Dough Bakery is a Parisian-style bakery and café that produces and sells artisan breads, pastries, grab-and-go lunches, coffee, and social hour offerings using a 130-year-old sourdough starter inherited from Chef David Fhima's great-great-grandmother. The bakery operates multiple physical locations in downtown Minneapolis and offers online ordering, catering, and private event hosting.
Product overview
Mother Dough Bakery is a fast-casual Parisian bakery and café founded by Chef David Fhima, offering a unified product portfolio centered on artisan breads, pastries, coffee, and grab-and-go lunch items made in-house daily. The core offering features baked goods using a 130-year-old sourdough starter. Services are delivered across three operational formats: dine-in/cafe service at multiple downtown Minneapolis locations, online ordering via Toast Tab, and private event catering. The business operates five locations: Capella Tower (Fireside and Skyway), Vicinity Apartments, US Bancorp Center (1st Floor and Skyway), and an upcoming location at Maison Margaux.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Breads and Pastries Parisian-style baked goods including sourdough breads, croissants, and tarts made in-house daily using a 130-year-old sourdough starter from Chef David Fhima's great-great-grandmother, sold to retail customers at bakery locations.
- Grab-and-Go Lunch Pre-made lunch items including sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie boards available for quick service at bakery locations.
- Coffee and Beverages Coffee drinks and natural tea beverages served alongside pastries and baked goods at bakery locations.
- Social Hour Evening social hour offering featuring charcuterie boards, hand sandwiches, and petite bites with hummus and msemen, available at bakery locations.
- Private Events Event hosting at three locations: Vicinity (up to 50 guests), Capella Fireside (up to 50 guests), and Capella Skyway (30-40 guests), for receptions, group lunches, and social hour gatherings.
- Catering Services Catering for private events, corporate lunches, and group gatherings at multiple locations and off-site, with menu offerings utilizing the bakery's signature sourdough-based items.
- Online Ordering for Pickup Online food ordering via Toast Tab platform for pickup at Capella Skyway, Vicinity, and US Bancorp locations.
- Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase through Toast Tab, redeemable at the bakery's locations for gifting or personal use.
Companies that use Mother Dough Bakery
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mother Dough Bakery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature1 record
Mother Dough Bakery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Sherman AssociatescoreSherman Associates, a real estate development company, partnered with David Fhima to bring Mother Dough Bakery to their properties. The partnership includes the Vicinity Apartments location (opened October 2024) and the Harmonia development at 255 2nd Avenue South, where David Fhima serves as the visionary for Food & Beverage concepts.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mother Dough Bakery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Paris Baguette: International bakery-café franchise with hundreds of company and franchised units combining retail bakery, coffee, and café service. Comparable as a multi-unit bakery-café platform, though anchored to franchise scale and a broader menu.
- Panera Bread: National bakery-café chain combining baked goods, sandwiches, salads, and coffee in a dine-in and grab-and-go format. Comparable daypart and category overlap (bakery + foodservice + coffee) at much broader scale.
- Le Pain Quotidien: International bakery-café chain focused on organic, rustic breads, viennoiserie, and café service with a communal dining feel. Comparable in French-leaning bakery-café positioning at broader scale.
Direct peers
- Patisserie 46: Twin Cities-based French-inspired bakery and café specializing in artisan breads, viennoiserie, and pastries. Most directly comparable local competitor offering Parisian-style baked goods in a dine-in café format to a similar Minneapolis urban customer.
- Café Cerón: Twin Cities bakery and coffee concept with scratch breads, pastries, and a dine-in café environment. Directly comparable in craft bakery positioning and Minneapolis neighborhood traffic.
- Rustica Bakery: Independently owned Minneapolis neighborhood bakery and café producing breads, pastries, sandwiches, and coffee. Directly comparable in retail-cafe format, scratch production, and downtown-adjacent customer base.
- Boulangerie L'Atelier: Minneapolis French boulangerie producing artisan breads, viennoiserie, and café fare. Closely aligned with Mother Dough's Parisian-style framing and retail-bakery format.
- Black Walnut Bakery: Minneapolis bakery-café focused on scratch-baked breads, pastries, and savory items served in a dine-in and grab-and-go environment. Closely comparable neighborhood retail bakery operator with a similar product mix and customer occasion.
- A La Mode Bake Shoppe: Locally owned Minneapolis-area bakery producing scratch breads, pastries, and café items. Comparable as an independent Minneapolis bakery-café competing for similar brunch and grab-and-go occasions.
Regional players
- Spyhouse Coffee: Minneapolis-based specialty coffee roaster with neighborhood cafés offering pastries and light food. Comparable as a regionally rooted Minneapolis café operator competing for similar coffee-and-pastry occasions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mother Dough Bakery social profiles
Digital presenceMother Dough Bakery compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Mother Dough Bakery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mother Dough Bakery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mother Dough Bakery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mother Dough 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 Mother Dough Bakery
What does Mother Dough Bakery do?
Mother Dough Bakery is a Parisian-style bakery and café that produces and sells artisan breads, pastries, grab-and-go lunches, coffee, and social hour offerings using a 130-year-old sourdough starter inherited from Chef David Fhima's great-great-grandmother. The bakery operates multiple physical locations in downtown Minneapolis and offers online ordering, catering, and private event hosting.
Is Mother Dough Bakery a public or private company?
Mother Dough Bakery is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Mother Dough Bakery founded?
Mother Dough Bakery was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mother Dough Bakery based?
Mother Dough Bakery is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mother Dough Bakery make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Bakery Sales are the primary driver. The others are online Ordering, private Events and Catering and gift Cards.
Who are Mother Dough Bakery's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Paris Baguette, Panera Bread and Le Pain Quotidien. Direct peers are Patisserie 46, Café Cerón, Rustica Bakery, Boulangerie L'Atelier, Black Walnut Bakery and A La Mode Bake Shoppe. Spyhouse Coffee is listed as a regional player.
Does Mother Dough Bakery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mother Dough Bakery.
What industry is Mother Dough Bakery in?
Mother Dough 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.