Husband and wife duo, Mark and Sara Frommeyer, are farmers by trade and artisan breadmakers by design. “Thirteen years ago my wife and I felt that there was a need for better bread—bread that is fresh, organic and locally sourced,” says Mark. Since their epiphany, the two have been cultivating and revolutionizing the bread-making scene in Cincinnati.
Before Blue Oven Bakery “was a thing,” the pair solely owned and operated their family farm located about thirty minutes outside of the city off of Ohio State Route 32 in Williamsburg where they organically grew (and continue to grow) crops like wheat and tomatoes. In order to focus their attention on breadmaking, the couple took an entire summer off from farming and dedicated months to refining their bread. Mark built a wood-fired oven on the farm—adorned with, you guessed it, blue tiles Mark found at a garage sale while passing through Cleveland—and the rest is history.
“We are at fourteen farmers markets around Cincinnati, including Findlay Market. A large portion of our ingredients are sourced straight from our farm, like our organic grain, but since we have expanded, it’s been challenging trying to source everything locally. We do our best to buy local, in-season produce from other farmers at the farmers markets.” Some of their best sellers include English muffins, their Bad Boy Sourdough and sweet and savory croissants.
In recent months, Mark and Sara have taken on several new, expansive projects simultaneously. The first big project is happening directly on their farm. “We bought a second farm that is going to be open to the public. We want to create an ‘agriculture tourism’ experience for folks. They’ll be able to pick veggies and take in-depth tours of our milling and baking processes.”
The second big project is, as you may have noticed, is taking place right here at the Market. They are building in an oven so they can make and bake their bread in-house.
“We’re really excited about this. We wanted to expand both our rural and urban locations.”
Mark and Sara are wholly devoted to their craft and staying true to their roots. “We want people to know we are committed to being the urban producer of hand-crafted, organic, locally-made bread for Cincinnati. We’ve turned down many opportunities to expand because we always want to be accessible to the public and provide a quality product.”
Blue Oven Bakery is a wonderful marriage of farming and food. Mark and Sara’s dedication to revolutionizing the baking game is unparalleled. Find their products all over Cincinnati at various markets and restaurants and be sure to check out their new farm when it opens!