BOULDER, CO — Returning to the helm of a company can be unnerving, to say the least. A lot had changed for Boulder, CO-based Rudi’s Rocky Mountain Bakery and for Jane Miller when she returned to the company as CEO, but they’d both grown in many ways. The market had completely evolved. Not only had there been a global pandemic and supply chain disruption, but the organic and gluten-free markets had taken a major shift into the mainstream that left Rudi’s feeling more like the underdog than the trailblazer it once was.
Miller had been on a journey of her own, riding a leadership learning curve that took her through two failed startups and one massive success, including the sale of Lily’s Sweets to The Hershey Co. She was a little older and much wiser … and ready to take on the challenge of bringing Rudi’s back into the fray, not only for its original, loyal customer base but also for the new organic and gluten-free demographic that wasn’t yet familiar with the brand.
“When I came back, the world had changed,” Miller said. “Rudi’s was still a relevant player, but the competitive environment had changed dramatically.”
The business was a quarter of the size it was when it was sold, but Miller doesn’t shy away from a challenge, especially when it involves something she cares for so deeply. She came back to Rudi’s in 2022 energized and ready to roll, and she’s injected that energy directly into the brand.
Any baker worth their salt must be skilled in the art of the pivot, and that’s the charge Miller is currently leading. While bread has spent years going in and out of favor with consumers bending toward whichever trend the wind blows, Miller is focused on bread as a centrifuge. However, she’s also focusing on white spaces like Texas toast and breakfast sandwiches, where organic and gluten-free bread has an opportunity to snag the spotlight.
