KANSAS CITY, KS — Farmer Direct Foods and Farm to Market Bread Co. have announced a new supplier partnership that will bring more locally sourced and sustainable products to the Kansas City food community.
With this partnership, New Cambria, KS-based Farmer Direct Foods will provide Kansas City, MO-based Farm to Market Bread Co. with its hard red winter wheat, hard white wheat and stone-ground rye flours. This allows Farm to Market Bread Co. to be one of the few commercial bakeries that can trace the flour to the field it came from.
Farm to Market Bread Co. was founded in 1993 by Mark Friend, and the company has been producing handcrafted, artisanal bread for nearly 30 years. Mark’s son, John Friend, now leads the bakery, and he’s continuing his father’s legacy by producing high-quality bread while stressing sustainability and using locally sourced ingredients.
“We are thrilled to partner with Farmer Direct Foods,” said Friend, CEO of Farm to Market Bread Co. “We share the same values of supporting local farmers and sourcing sustainable, traceable ingredients. This partnership will allow us to continue producing the high-quality bread that our customers love, while also strengthening our commitment to the local food community.”
Farmer Direct Foods has been a leader in producing regeneratively grown whole wheat flours for 35 years. The flour supplier has created a network of multigenerational Kansas wheat farmers who have developed a process that can trace its wheat through every step of the farming and milling process.
“We are excited to partner with Farm to Market Bread Co. and bring our regeneratively-grown whole wheat flours to their delicious bread,” said Hayley Eckert, VP of strategy and sales of Farmer Direct Foods. “We are proud of our deep connections to the Kansas farming and milling industry, and this partnership allows us to continue supporting our farmers while also expanding our reach to the broader community. Together, we can create a more sustainable, traceable and delicious food system for everyone to enjoy.”
