Companion Bakeshop was founded in 2006 out of a love for hearty sourdough. In those early days, Companion’s founder Erin spent long hours in the kitchen hand-mixing all of the dough, baking and packing loaves of bread, and then selling them at the farmers’ markets. The work of those first days was made lighter with the help of a supportive community; our community lies at the heart of everything we do at Companion. We love that we still see the faces of first customers!

It was while completing the CASFS (Center for Agro-ecology & Sustainable Food Systems) at UCSC that Erin was inspired to combine her love for agriculture with her love for sourdough. From the beginning, Companion has been committed to working with local, organic farms to produce our bread and pastries. These early relationships with local farms led to our sourdough loaves finding their way into CSA boxes for our community.

In 2008, Erin met Jeremy and they fell in love over bread and avocados at the farmers market. Jeremy is the main reason Erin continues to bake. Not only does he love baked goods, but he has a love for great coffee too and it was Jeremy who brought caffeine to Companion. Jeremy spends his time co-managing the bakeshop, while also working full time as a registered dietitian and helping to raise their kids Annie and Quinn.

In 2010, Erin and Jeremy found a permanent home for Companion on the Westside of Santa Cruz. Much to their delight, the bakeshop has been greeted with lines of happy customers ever since. These days, Companion continues to grow; we opened a second location in Aptos and you can find our bread and pastries in many local grocery stores and cafes. This growth wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our incredible and talented employees. They are the soul of Companion and, together, we work hard four our community, food system, and our love for turning great ingredients into delicious pastries and sourdough breads.

For us, Companion Bakeshop is a love story. It is the story of a business that has so much heart and soul that it has become an anchor in our community. We are so thankful for the opportunity to open our doors each day to share this love with you.