Crumb Brothers aims to nourish spirits as well as stomachs

By Lindsay Kite

April 29, 2005 | LOGAN -- They say man cannot live on bread alone, but Bill Oblock, owner of Crumb Brothers Bakery, begs to differ.

"We use simple ingredients, but with our techniques -- and when we do it right -- it tastes outrageously good," he said.

Most bakeries use commercial yeast that allows them to make it fast, but Oblock said that comes at the demise of fine-tasting food. Crumb Brothers' hands-on technique called "artisan" and their use of a natural starter makes the process much more complex and time consuming, he said.

"I don't mean to sound uppity," Oblock said," but comparing Crumb Brothers to any other bakery is like comparing the New York Times to The Herald Journal.

Their combination of wholesale distribution to restaurants and businesses plus on-site retail is what caught the eye of River Heights' Planning and Zoning Commissioner Mike Rickson. As River Heights has been considering business options to keep the city viable, the most frequently mentioned example has been Crumb Brothers.

"The main reason I use this as an example is that Crumb Brothers is a retail outlet that a municipality depends on to get tax revenue," Rickson said. "But it is a retail that doesn't depend on a lot of vehicular traffic. It is very low key."

Though Rickson has used Crumb Brothers as an example of the city's ideal business prospect, he has not approached the bakery. Oblock said his one location is where they plan to stay, though they are aiming to expand their production from between 700 and 900 loaves a day to 2,000.

Another reason Rickson gave for citing Crumb Brothers as an ideal business for the city is its use of xeriscape around the building. "They could have chosen a landscape that was very water intensive, but with the xeriscape they have done it is extremely water friendly," Rickson said.

Crumb Brothers' facility, located at 291 S. 300 West in Logan, is also environmentally conscious in other ways. Geo exchange forms the heating and cooling system, ground water provides the energy, plenty of windows reduce lighting needs and a solar wall cuts back on electricity, Oblock said.

"There is the idea that, being an individual, your impact on the world is 'X' amount, but with a business, that can be exponential," he said."This building is designed to lessen our environmental impact in every way."

When asked why his business might be used as an example of one that would work well in a residential area, Oblock said he thinks cities like River Heights are looking for a balance of retail and rural atmosphere. He said the key is to keep the character, but also have sustainability.

Crumb Brothers also provides Cache Valley with a different element of scenery than its residents are used to seeing, Oblock said.

"I think Utah tends to be in its own world," which is why Oblock said he used a style of arts and crafts architecture from the 1920s for his bakery. "Both the building and the bread are appealing," he said, "which shows that even in a place like Utah, we can bring the outside in."

Dave Oblock, Bill's brother and co-investor in the bakery, said Bill is the one who came up with the idea of Crumb Brothers both in spirit and physically over the past three years. He said Bill definitely had philosophical, not simply economic reasons for creating the bakery.

"Some people eat food to fill their stomachs, but for others it is a means of social interaction," Bill Oblock said. "I started Crumb Brothers because food is something I hold dear to myself and I understand its importance in a social context."

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