Great Harvest Bread Company

Great Harvest Bread Company is a United States bakery franchise known for selling fresh-baked bread and related bakery foods, particularly products made with flour milled close to the time of baking. Its origins trace to Pete and Laura Wakeman, who began baking and selling fresh-ground whole-wheat bread from a roadside stand in Durham, Connecticut, while they were college students. After graduating, they opened the first Great Harvest bakery in Great Falls, Montana, in 1976. The business expanded gradually through company and independently operated bakery locations. A second bakery opened near Kalispell, Montana, in 1978, followed by a third location in Spokane, Washington, opened by Jacque Sanchez. The Spokane bakery remained in operation according to the available reference material. In 1983, Great Harvest established a franchise office, formalizing a model that allowed local operators to run bakeries under the Great Harvest name. The company is described as the first whole-grain bread franchise in the United States. Great Harvest’s retail proposition centers on the sensory and perceived quality benefits of freshly baked bread and freshly milled whole-grain flour. Its bakery locations have offered loaves, whole-wheat and honey-wheat varieties, other baked goods, and prepared foods such as sandwiches. The concept combines local bakery presentation with a shared franchise identity, enabling individual stores to serve regional customers while using the brand’s broader operating model and product positioning. The company’s leadership has included Tom McMakin, who served as chief operating officer from 1997 to 2001. Mike Ferretti is identified in the available material as the company’s president and chief executive officer. In 2024, private-equity firm NewSpring Capital acquired a 70 percent controlling interest in Great Harvest. The transaction changed the company’s ownership structure while leaving Great Harvest as an active bakery franchise brand. Publicly available reference material does not provide enough detail to assess the transaction’s purchase price, subsequent expansion plans, or changes to the franchise network.

Great Harvest Bread Company developed from a small fresh-bread operation created by Pete and Laura Wakeman. While they were college students in the late 1970s, the Wakemans operated a roadside stand in Durham, Connecticut, where they baked bread using freshly ground whole-wheat flour. The business emphasized a direct connection between milling, baking, and retail sale, an approach that later became central to the Great Harvest identity. Following their graduation, the Wakemans opened the first Great Harvest bakery in Great Falls, Montana, in 1976. The location established the company’s basic retail format: a bakery where customers could purchase bread and related products made and sold fresh. Expansion continued with a second bakery near Kalispell, Montana, in 1978. A third location was subsequently opened in Spokane, Washington, by Jacque Sanchez. The Spokane bakery is identified in the reference material as continuing to operate. Great Harvest created a franchise office in 1983. This step moved the company beyond a small group of directly connected bakeries and created a structure for independent local operators to use the Great Harvest name and business model. The company became known as the first whole-grain bread franchise in the United States. Its franchise concept combined standardized brand positioning with the local presence of individually operated bakeries. Over time, Great Harvest’s offering extended beyond a single whole-wheat loaf. The brand became associated with freshly baked bread, including whole-wheat and honey-wheat varieties, as well as other baked goods and sandwiches. Fresh milling and the use of whole-grain flour remained important elements of the company’s differentiation in the bakery market, where freshness, visible production, and local ownership can support customer loyalty. Tom McMakin served as chief operating officer from 1997 through 2001. The available material later identifies Mike Ferretti as president and chief executive officer. No further executive chronology is established by the supplied sources. In 2024, NewSpring Capital, a private-equity firm, acquired a 70 percent controlling interest in the company. The transaction represents a significant ownership change, but the supplied references do not specify its value, financing, governance arrangements, or effects on franchisees and store operations. Great Harvest remains an active United States bakery franchise.

• 2024

  NewSpring Capital takes controlling interest

  [1]Great Harvest Bread Companyen.wikipedia.org

  NewSpring Capital acquired a 70 percent controlling interest in Great Harvest Bread Company.

• 1983

  Franchise office established

  [1]Great Harvest Bread Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company established a franchise office and developed its nationwide whole-grain bakery franchise model.

• 1978

  Second bakery opens near Kalispell

  [1]Great Harvest Bread Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Great Harvest expanded to a second bakery near Kalispell, Montana.

• 1976

  First Great Harvest bakery opens

  [1]Great Harvest Bread Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Pete and Laura Wakeman opened the first Great Harvest Company bakery in Great Falls, Montana, after beginning with a roadside bread stand in Connecticut.

Fresh, locally oriented bakery products centered on freshly milled whole-grain flour and franchise-operated neighborhood bakeries.

• Bread

  Fresh-milled whole-wheat bread

  A core Great Harvest product category made with whole-wheat flour milled close to the baking process. The brand’s early identity was built around fresh-ground whole-wheat bread, and this product type remains central to its positioning around freshness and whole grains.

• Bread

  Honey-wheat bread

  A wheat-bread variety associated with the company’s bakery assortment. It combines the brand’s wheat-bread focus with honey as a flavoring element. The supplied sources identify honey-wheat bread as one of the brand’s representative offerings but do not provide a standardized recipe or launch date.

• Bakery foods

  Other baked goods

  Great Harvest bakeries sell baked goods beyond bread. The available references do not establish a complete chain-wide catalog, so the category is best understood as a broad range of bakery items offered alongside the brand’s primary bread products.

• Prepared foods

  Sandwiches

  Prepared sandwiches are part of the broader food offer associated with Great Harvest bakery locations. They extend the use of the brand’s bread into an immediate-consumption meal format, although the available material does not specify a uniform menu across all franchised stores.

• 2024

  Sale of a 70 percent controlling interest to NewSpring CapitalM&A

  Background

  Great Harvest remained an active United States bakery franchise when a private-equity investor acquired a controlling ownership stake.

  Action taken

  NewSpring Capital purchased 70 percent of Great Harvest Bread Company.

  Aftermath

  The transaction transferred control to NewSpring Capital. The available sources do not document the purchase price or operational consequences.

  Source

• 1983

  Establishment of a franchise operating modelStrategy

  Background

  After opening its early bakeries, Great Harvest created a franchise office to support expansion through independently operated locations.

  Action taken

  The company formalized franchising as a growth channel and positioned itself as a whole-grain bread franchise.

  Aftermath

  The change allowed the brand to expand beyond its original Montana locations while retaining a bakery-centered local-store format.

  Source

1. 1Great Harvest Bread Companyen.wikipedia.org