Watch the inspiring story of Dave Dahl, founder of Dave's Killer Bread
and former ex-con / prodigal son of pioneering organic baker, Jim Dahl.
Based in Milwaukie, Oregon, Dave's Killer Bread was awarded the 2011
"Oregon Ethics in Business Award" and "Local Hero Award" by Edible
Portland magazine.
"Killer Dave" Dahl (though he never killed
anyone) along with his brother, Glenn Dahl, and nephew, Shobi Dahl,
transformed a small family bakery into a Northwest business phenomenon,
and their bread lines are now carried from California to Alaska in
stores like Fred Meyer, Safeway, Costco, WinCo, Whole Foods and QFC to
name but a few.
Their company slogan, "Just say no to bread on
drugs" and vision, "to make the world a better place, one loaf of bread
at a time," has been quoted in media outlets including MSNBC, Inc.
Magazine, the New York Times, and LifeTime.
The mission of
Dave's Killer Bread is "to bake the highest quality wholegrain and
organic bread without compromise," as well as "contribute positively to
the community and create a respectful and enjoyable place for our
employees to work."
History
The history of Dave's Killer Bread begins in 1955, when
Dave's father, Jim Dahl, purchased a small neighborhood bakery on 123rd
and Division in Portland called Midway Bakery. A "pioneer" in sprouted
wheat bread-baking, James soon found a following for his delicious
breads made with whole grains and no animal fats (a rarity at that
time). His most successful and well-known product was Surviva Bread,
which he developed in the 60's and is still available in stores today.
James and wife Wanene's first child, Glenn, began to work in the bakery
when he was 9 years old. As they became old enough to work, Glenn was
joined in the bakery by his sister Linda and brothers Al and Dave.
Although
Dave worked at the family bakery through his teenage years, he had no
passion for his family business and no appreciation for his father's
eccentric style. Dave struggled with severe depression and quickly
turned to drugs as a coping mechanism. Methamphetamines led him down a
road of crime and incarceration. He was sentenced to state prison four
times for a total of 15 years. With Dave out of the picture, elder
brother Glenn ran the family business, changing the name to NatureBake
in 1984 and purchasing it from his father in 1988. Shobi Dahl, Glenn's
son, was born in 1983. Like his father (and Uncle Dave), Shobi also
began to work in the bakery at a very young age.
For Dave, the
turning point came in 2001, about 3.5 years into his last sentence, when
he found help for his depression via prescription medication and
subsequent vocational training for computer-aided drafting/machining. He
spent the next 2 years as a drafting tutor and project drafter, helping
design furniture, modular housing, and machine parts for the
Construction Tech program at Snake River Correctional Institution in
Eastern Oregon. He had planned to continue on this course until his
expected release in 2007, but was accepted into a drug treatment program
at Powder River Correctional Facility in 2003 that resulted in his
early release on December 27, 2004.
Upon release, Glenn welcomed
Dave back to the family bakery. With a newfound desire to turn his life
around, coupled with the hard-won humility born of prolonged adversity,
Dave quickly established himself as a creative force at NatureBake.
After reformulating their cookie line to contain neither trans fats nor
animal products, he set his sights on a much more complex task: to
create the ultimate healthy bread using the best organic ingredients
available on the market. Around this time, Shobi graduated from
Willamette University with a degree in Economics, and like Dave, was
eager to join the family business of making bread. The three Dahls
wasted no time getting the first four Dave's Killer Bread varieties
(Blues, Nuts & Grains, Good Seed, and Rockin' Rye) into people's
mouths, launching at the Portland Farmers Market "Summer Loaf" artisan
bread festival August 4-6, 2005.
The response was nothing short
of amazing. Rave reviews from customers led the Portland Farmers Market
to ask the new brand to permanently join the market mid-season. This
great opportunity to introduce the bread was vital to the rise of Dave's
Killer Bread. By the fall (with the help of their loyal fan base),
Dave's Killer Bread products appeared on the shelves of Portland
retailers like New Seasons, Whole Foods, and Fred Meyer. At this time,
the company had about 35 employees baking NatureBake and Dave's Killer
Bread alike. Since then, it has grown to about 240 employees (about 30%
of whom, like Dave, are ex-felons) and Dave's Killer Bread has become
its main brand. The brand has now grown to 16 varieties-all Dave's
recipes-with more on the way. Dave's Killer Bread is currently available
in Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and
Nevada.
