New owners, free bread at Great Harvest Bread Company

Reading time: 6 minutes

great harvest
Sarah is a bread master. (Sarah Gronberg / Hville Blast)

If youโ€™re like me, Great Harvest Bread Company has been a little bit of a Huntsville mysteryโ€”until today.

We sat down with the new owner of Great Harvest Bread Company to find out what Great Harvest is all about and the plans she and her family have for the business.

Hereโ€™s five things to know.

1. The new owners took over in December

great harvest
Smiles in the front, baking in the back. (Sarah Gronberg / Hville Blast)

When Sarah Kaetterhenryโ€™s husband was about to be out of the military, they started thinking about their next steps.

They considered moving to Montana (where Sarahโ€™s from) or Texas (where her husband is from), but chose Huntsville. Unexpected, right? Sarah said it was very much so. But, they had a friend who convinced them, and they were excited about a church community here.

As they were in the process of moving here last year, they looked into buying a business and saw that Great Harvest was for sale. The previous owners had opened the location in 2018, but werenโ€™t seeing it take off.

The opportunity was perfect. Great Harvest started in Montana, and Sarah can remember going there when she was growing up. She and her husband also thought it would be wonderful for their two little girls to grow up seeing how a business is run. They also loved how they could make it a hub for people to grow communities.

โ€œGod just kind of dropped it in our lapโ€ฆthis is the perfect opportunity that checks all the boxes.โ€

Sarah Kaetterhenry, owner of Huntsvilleโ€™s Great Harvest Bread Company

And they took that opportunity in December of last year. Since then, theyโ€™ve been working hard to revitalize Great Harvest.

2. They make their bread fresh + give out free slices

Since December, Sarah and her team of bakers have made a lot of bread. But first, it was just Sarah.

โ€œFor the first while, I was doing all the baking, coming in at four every morning.โ€

Sarah Kaetterhenry, owner of Huntsvilleโ€™s Great Harvest Bread Company

Since that time, theyโ€™ve hired a wonderful staffโ€”and Sarahโ€™s happy that she no longer has to come in at four oโ€™clock in the morning.

But, theyโ€™re still committed to baking everything fresh, just like Sarah did in the beginning. They bake their breads fresh every single day, and they only sell bread from that day and the previous day.

To make the bread, they only use a handful of high-quality ingredients like bread you would bake at home. Sarah can easily name off all the base ingredients in their loavesโ€”honey, water, yeast, flour and salt. For their whole wheat bread, they use house-milled flour from wheat that grows in Montana.

They also make some fun, special breads by throwing in some extra ingredientsโ€”from jalapeรฑos, cheddar cheese and garlic to cinnamon chips (I highly recommend the cinnamon chip bread).

Plus, you can get a free slice of bread just by walking in the doorโ€”itโ€™s the Great Harvest tradition.

3. Great Harvest goes beyond bread

great harvest
One of each, please! (Sarah Gronberg / Hville Blast)

But they donโ€™t stop at bread. Theyโ€™ve got fresh-baked goodies behind the counter every dayโ€”from cookies and brownies to bars and scones.

Thereโ€™s also plenty of option on the cafe menu, which Sarah and her team have expanded since taking over. Theyโ€™ve got everything from toasts and breakfast sandwiches for the morning to BLTs and melts for lunch.

If youโ€™re looking to get into sourdough baking, Great Harvest also sells sourdough starter, and itโ€™s the same starter they use in their sourdough breadโ€”no fake flavors here.

And if that wasnโ€™t enough, they also do catering, which Sarah is hoping to grow in the future.

All of these breads, sandwiches and goodies are vehicles for their mission and vision for Great Harvest in Huntsville.

4. Itโ€™s all about community

great harvest
Beautiful, local and fresh. (Sarah Gronberg / Hville Blast)

Sarah described the purpose beyond bread that fuels the new version of Great Harvest in Huntsville.

โ€œWeโ€™re Christians, so we want to use our business to spread the gospel and glorify God.โ€

Sarah Kaetterhenry, owner of Huntsvilleโ€™s Great Harvest Bread Company

But, Sarah explained that she wants to accomplish that by having a well-run business that is a top-notch experience for both the staff and the customers.

โ€œThe best way we can glorify God through this is by having the best bakery and cafe in the area.โ€

Sarah Kaetterhenry, owner of Huntsvilleโ€™s Great Harvest Bread Company

She and her family enjoy being a part of the Huntsville community, and love that โ€œthereโ€™s so many smart people doing really cool things.โ€

Theyโ€™ve already โ€œhad lots of opportunities to foster community,โ€ including working with Manna House. They give Manna House their extra bread, and get their lettuce for their sandwiches from Manna Houseโ€™s hydroponic garden.

They hope to continue building that sense of community at Great harvest, especially during and after their grand re-opening.

5. Theyโ€™re having a grand re-opening

great harvest
Itโ€™s in a convenient location in the middle of Huntsville. (Sarah Gronberg / Hville Blast)

Sarah and the rest of the team have been working hard to revitalize Great Harvest, and theyโ€™re almost ready to celebrate.

Their grand re-opening will run for a whole week, April 10-15, during which theyโ€™ll be donating 10% of sales to a different nonprofit each day.

  • Monday, April 10: Hawthorne Conservatory
  • Tuesday, April 11: Providence Classical School
  • Wednesday, April 12: Rocket City Rescue
  • Thursday, April 13: Farmhouse Midwifery
  • Friday, April 14: Homeschool Community
  • Saturday, April 15: Manna House

Each day, customers can experience new breads, choose a free goodie, grab a sandwich and meet the ownersโ€”all while supporting local nonprofits.

But, if youโ€™re already craving some fresh bread, Great Harvestโ€™s doors are open. Hereโ€™s where you can find them.

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Sarah Gronberg
Sarah Gronberg
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