About

In today's episode, Karey and Justin are excited to talk with Josh Allen of Companion Baking. He is the owner and founder of a successful and growing company offering quality, custom bread programs for restaurants, stores and businesses since 1993. Companion Baking also owns and operates a Cafe. If you are in the St. Louis area...check it out.  We discuss the pivot his company made during the pandemic and of course, we Fire the Board.Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Allen was immersed in the food and baking industry from an early age. His great-grandfather founded Allen Foods, a well-known broadline food distributor with a large customer base across the Midwest. Allen spend much of his childhood delivering groceries to various foodservice operations, cleaning the freezers and sweeping the trucks for his family's business.In 1991, Allen earned his degree in American Studies from Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Following graduation, Allen remained in the Bay Area working for various artisan bakers and grocery stores including Whole Foods Market and the Oakville Grocery Co., where he gained valuable baking experience and learned what it took to operate a business. With a dream of opening a baking facility of his own, Allen returned home to St. Louis in 1993 and  leased a small  corner of a manufacturing facility operated by his family to  create Companion Baking. He started with just six breads in Companion’s production line but gradually expanded the business, partnering with local and regional restaurants and grocery chains to build the customized bread programs Companion has become known for.Today,  Companion’s award-winning bread is served in more than 400 restaurants, grocery stores, and businesses around the Midwest and  across the country. Allen credits his success to listening and nimbly adapting to his customers’ wants and needs.  In addition to their baking operations, Companion has two cafes in the St. Louis area and has expanded to offer a small line of pastries. Josh looks forward to continuing develop curated bread programs for regional and national multi-unit operators by helping them tell their story through bread. Outside Companion, Josh enjoys cycling, running and spending time with his five kids.Companion Baking:www.companionbaking.com Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/companionbaker/Facebook       https://www.facebook.com/Companionstl Foodservice for Thought:Link to IG - podcast - https://www.instagram.com/foodserviceforthought/Justin IG - https://www.instagram.com/justinodfw/Karey IG - https://www.instagram.com/kareysclements/FH&W IG - https://www.instagram.com/fhwinc/Produced by FH&W