September 17, 2024 3:50 a.m.
In the KQEN Business Spotlight:
Oregon Sourdough plans to open a new bakery and retail location next Monday, September 23rd. The outlet is at 485 Northeast Stephens Street in Roseburg.
Co-owner Gretchen Lantz told News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN that while she has been baking since she was a small child, baking sourdough was a new endeavor that started for her and husband Richie in 2023. Lantz said she was able to acquire a very older sourdough starter from a very famous San Francisco bakery. After some practice loaves that were shared with family and friends, the couple began attending farmers markets last fall.
Lantz said the first farmers market was at the end of last September. She brought just 17 loaves of sourdough, plus some sourdough browned butter chocolate chip cookies – and all of it sold out in just 35 minutes. Lantz said, “We were off to the races, and our little company has grown exponentially since that first market day last year”.
Lantz, who is also a local real estate agent, has been offering their products at farmers markets around the area, but with the increased demand, it became clear that they needed to make their sourdough available to more people, and more than just once a week.
Lantz said the store will offer an array of sourdough products – breads, cookies, sweet breads, cinnamon rolls and other treats. As the business grows, Lantz eventually hopes to offer sandwiches, meals to go and perhaps a few other options.
Richie Lantz is working this week to install ovens and other needed equipment. For the past year, baking has taken place at a number of locations.
Hours for the new venture are still being determined. Lantz hopes to be open Mondays through Saturdays but is still figuring out an exact schedule. The building had been used most recently as an extension of Rick’s Medical Supply, which later moved. In years past, the property was a take-out Pizza Hut outlet.
Lantz is clearly excited to see her sourdough business take off so quickly, and hopes it continues rising for a long time to come.
Updates on the store are available at www.oregonsourdough.com