The Shift: Tyler Hopwood kneads bread business from scratch
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Tyler Hopwood. Photo: Chloe Hansberger
St. Louis native Tyler Hopwood's pastime for comfort turned into a business making comfort food for Northwest Arkansans.
Why it matters: Hopwood Breads is an example of the many startups bubbling as NWA shifts its economy away from dependence on a few big companies.
Driving the news: The artisan bread with a cult following is now available at Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville, and Hopwood will have a booth at the Fayetteville Farmers Market beginning in April, he told Worth.
- His loaves and one-of-a-kind sourdough doughnuts were previously only available through pop-ups and subscriptions — frequently held at breweries — to his 3,100 followers on Instagram.
The big picture: During the COVID-19 pandemic, workers stuck at home turned to hobbies like crochet, gardening and baking sourdough. Many posted their results on social media.
Backstory: Hopwood started watching a couple's pandemic journey with sourdough on YouTube — now Proof Breads in Arizona — mostly to fill time and because he found it soothing.
- Before long, he was working to perfect his own recipe.
- "It's like having a pet that determines your income," Hopwood told Worth of the starter that requires nurturing, feeding and controlled temperature.
In 2023, he joined a business accelerator organized by Cureate, a food-focused consulting company of Fayetteville. At the end of the program, he won the final-pitch competition and was awarded $5,000.
- He bought a bread oven with the dough.
Between the lines: Hopwood currently churns out about 80 loaves and 80 cream-filled doughnuts a week, using about 100 pounds of flour. He mills the whole-grain flour used in some recipes himself.
The bottom line: He's waiting to see how the spring and summer seasons go and if he can double production, but he has no plans for a brick-and-mortar location.
- Hopwood hopes to eventually have a shared kitchen and more food service and grocery clients.
🍞The Shift is a regular feature to catch up quick on what's happening in Arkansas' economy and entrepreneurial ecosystem.