River & Timber

Visual Stories of the Lower Columbia and Beyond

012: Kalama Sourdough Bakery

Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.

Kalama Sourdough Bakery – A Perfect Combination of Scale and Artisanship

You’ve likely eaten it. Undoubtedly, you’ve seen it while running errands. Kalama Sourdough Bakery’s products have become a staple in Southwest Washington. Despite the challenges of expansion, the company has stayed true to its roots.

It is not uncommon to assume that with anything professionally packaged and labeled in bulk, one assumes a high-degree of automation is involved: Years of watching “How It’s Made” on the Discovery Channel will do that to a person: But Kalama Sourdough Bakery defies that assumption. See for yourself.

Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.
Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.

Every loaf at Kalama Sourdough Bakery begins with testing and ends with delivery. Amid the bustle of measuring, mixing, proofing, and baking, the test kitchen and maintenance bay maintain an independent pace to support the growing production.

Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.
Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.
Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.
Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.
Artisan bakery in Kalama, Washington, featuring freshly baked sourdough bread, wheat loaves, buns, and pizza dough made with a local starter and baked in a traditional oven in the Lower Columbia region.
Robert Ahrens, founder and owner.

To learn more about Kalama Sourdough Bakery, visit their website Here.

The Daily News covered Robert Ahrens’ story in 2013. Read it Here.

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