Brandon Hollingsworth

FAIRMONT — Brandon Hollingsworth created The Bread Box as a cottage food business. Hollingsworth focused his business on sourdough and this is a hobby of his and not his main line of work.

Hollingsworth’s main goal of The Bread Box is to provide a bakery for Fairmont and thinks that it’s something the town could look forward to.

The idea was inspired by the pandemic. During the pandemic, Hollingsworth lost his job and decided to start his own business.

“I just thought why don’t I just start my own things,” Hollingsworth said. “I have a business background and I’ve been in business for seven plus years. Why not combine two things I like in business and food.”

Hollingsworth bakes and cooks in his free time and felt this would be the next steps in his career plans. Hollingsworth originally centered around running a food truck that serves sandwiches or a bakery food truck. Hollingsworth then settled on the cottage food business because he didn’t have to get a food license, is more cost effective and can do it right from his home.

According to the Cottage Food Law, Hollingsworth will only be able to sell at his home and by delivery. The Bread Box will not be able to ship online or sell to restaurants.

Hollingsworth wants the The Bread Box to remain fun and a hobby. Hollingsworth has his dream job in marketing at a local business.

The Bread Box for now will be a weekend bakery that won’t be too large. It’ll be first-come-first-serve and small-batch orders. The bakery will be focused specifically on sourdough products and around Christmas time there will be specials.

“I don’t expect it to get crazy or anything,” Hollingsworth said. “I don’t want it to get that way at least for the time being. It’s just a side project.”

The actual hours are still being worked out for the weekend when Hollingsworth can have people pick up his product. When Hollingsworth get his business opened, customers can place orders Monday through Thursday so he can have time to prep the food. When it comes to sourdough, the dough has to ferment and sit from anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.

Hollingsworth wants to tell the community that one will get a high-quality product that you cannot get from national food stores. It is a unique product that utilizes local flours and ingredients. He uses flour from Whole Grain Milling in Welcome and from Sunrise Flour Mill in North Branch, Minnesota. The grain that they use has not been altered in any way, according to Hollingsworth.

“It’s not a full-time bakery or anything like that,” Hollingsworth said. “It’s a special thing that you can have or buy that you can have at the dinner table with your family.”

For more information on The Bread Box, check out their Facebook page or the website when it launches https://www.breadboxmn.com/.