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AURI Contacted Bakery about Potential Kernza® Pilot Project
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, inquired by email if the bakery would be interested in doing a pilot project baking with Kernza® perennial grain flour. And so began Artisan Naan Bakery's ongoing Kernza® experience. Photo courtesy of Carmen Fernholz. -
Pilot Project with AURI Formally Began
Early January 2021, the Kernza® naan pilot project officially took off and took shape through videoconferences, emails, and telephone calls between the bakery and AURI. Photo courtesy of Carmen Fernholz. -
Funding for the AURI & Artisan Naan Bakery Pilot Project
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). -
Bakery Received Kernza® Flour Samples
AURI delivered two Kernza® flour samples to the bakery. The flour was MN-Clearwater and had been milled by Swany White Flour Mills in Freeport, MN. Swany White Flour Mills has been owned by the Thelen Family since 1903. -
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Baked with MN-Clearwater Milled by Swany White and by Baker's Field
MN-Clearwater is the first variety of Kernza to be released for commercial production in the U.S. It was developed by the University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative, a College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) research platform developing winter annual and perennial crops and cropping systems that protect soil and water while also providing new economic opportunities for growers, industry, and communities. -
Received Kernza® Flour for Baking Pilot Project Naan
AURI shipped flour from Swany White to the bakery for the pilot project Kernza@ naan, which would be sold at the bakery's retail counter and at the 2021 St Cloud Area Farmers Market in downtown St Cloud, MN. Thereafter, the bakery finalized the Kernza® naan recipe; named our naan, The Marvel; and designed the required food label and a special label identifying the bakery's products made with Kernza®. -
Baked the 1st Batch of Kernza® Naan with AURI
AURI visited the bakery and baked the 1st batch of Kernza® Naan with Gwen. We also baked amazing Kernza@ Pizzas for lunch. Yum! Yes, we hand-tossed each naan and naan pizza crust. -
The Marvel and Marvelous Pizza Crust Debuted at the Farmers Market
We debuted a Kernza® naan, The Marvel, and a Kernza® par-baked Naan Pizza Crust, the Marvelous Naan Pizza Crust, at our local farmers market in St Cloud, MN. It was a sell-out! -
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Farmers Market
The bakery sold our Kernza® breads, The Marvel Naan and the Marvelous Naan Pizza Crust, for the duration of our 2021 farmers market season. -
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Geared Up for Wholesaling Kernza® Naan
Based on the positive reception from farmers market customers, the bakery prepared for wholesaling our new naan to 4 long-term customers, The Wedge, Eastside, and both Seward Co-Ops, Minneapolis, MN. Preparations included buying MN-Clearwater flour through Baker's Field Flour and Bread, making arrangements with our buyers, and finalizing the retail labels. AURI analyzed our recipe and provided a Nutrition Facts label. -
Expanded our Web Presence and Launched Kernza® Social Media Campaign
The bakery expanded our web presence. We deployed a new website. We engaged a Marketing Director to handle our social media presence; and to map out a specific social media campaign for our Kernza® products. In September, the bakery added Instagram. -
Kernza® Field Day at A-Frame Farm, Madison, MN
Gwen Williams attended the Kernza® Field Day at A-Frame Farm in Madison, MN. She met and conversed with many people, notably, grower and President of Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative, Carmen Fernholz; growers from Sustain-a-Grain in Kansas, Brandon Kaufman and Peter Miller; Tessa Peters, The Land Institute; and Connie Carlson, UMN Forever Green Initiative. Photo courtesy of Karl Hakanson. -
Food Matters at the Kernza® Field Day in Madison, MN
Gwen brought samples of our Kernza® Naan to the Madison Field Day. Gwen had the pleasure of meeting Beth Dooley and tasting her wonderful Kernza@ pilaf. Gwen especially enjoyed meeting and talking with Jill Holter, who had created fantastic grilled pizza recipes for our Naan back in 2017! Photo courtesy of Karl Hakanson. -
ROCORI Community Plot Day hosted by ROCORI FFA, in Cold Spring, MN
AURI brought our Kernza® Naan to this educational Kernza® field day open to the public. Our Kernza® Naan was one of many delicious Kernza® food samples attendees enjoyed. The field day was held at the 16-acre Kernza@ plot planted by ROCORI FFA and Ag students. The day featured presentations by AURI and the Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation District, among others. -
Educational Visit to The Land Institute
The bakery sent an envoy to The Land Institute in Salina, KS, to take one of their public Friday tours in order to learn more about perennial crop research in general and Kernza® in particular. The delegation consisted of the bakery's Marketing Director and her daughter, the bakery's Teen Food Ambassador. Photo courtesy of Julia Williams. -
The Marvel Naan Delivered to Minneapolis Grocery Shelves
The bakery's delivery driver Dave brought The Marvel naan, made with Kernza® perennial grain, to four Minneapolis locations. The Marvel hit the shelves at Seward Community Co-op Franklin store, Seward Community Co-op Friendship store, Eastside Food Co-op, and The Wedge Community Co-op. -
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Geared Up for Wholesaling Kernza® Pita
The bakery prepared for wholesaling a new Kernza® pita, starting with a select group of Lunds & Byerlys stores. Preparations included buying more Kernza® flour, finalizing our pita recipe and handling / baking method, making arrangements with our buyer, and finalizing the retail labels. AURI analyzed our final recipe and provided a Nutrition Facts label. -
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Baking with C5 Flour from Sustain-a-Grain
The bakery bought Kernza® C5 flour from Sustain-a-Grain in Kansas, where The Land Institute is located. "C5" stands for "Cycle 5," the variety obtained through five breeding cycles at The Land Institute. -
Perennial Grain Pockets (Kernza® Pita) Delivered to Select Lunds & Byerlys Stores
The bakery officially released our 2nd Kernza® flatbread, our Perennial Grain Pockets, or Kernza® Pita. This fresh whole grain pita launched at 5 select Lunds & Byerlys locations in Eagan, Highland Park, Maple Grove, Ridgedale, and St Louis Park. -
Perennial Grain Pockets Sold at 3 More Lunds & Byerlys Stores
Lunds & Byerlys France Ave Edina, 50th Street Edina, and Northeast Minneapolis stores started carrying our Kernza® Pita, bringing the number of stores selling this pita to 8. -
AURI Published a Fields of Innovation Innovator Profile on Artisan Naan Bakery
The bakery was honored that AURI selected Artisan Naan Bakery for their 2022 AURI Connects: Fields of Innovation Innovator Profiles. The profile discusses the bakery's work with AURI and the emerging grain Kernza®. -
Bakery Distributed Mad Agriculture's Selling Aids for Grocers
At the bakery's request, Mad Agriculture, a non-profit that works to advance regenerative agriculture, delivered assistance to the bakery and the grocers selling our Kernza® breads. This assistance by Mad Agriculture came in the form of composing a 4x6 Kernza® Postcard for display in grocery store settings and a basic Kernza® Fact Sheet. Mad Agriculture represents the Perennial Promise Growers' Cooperative. -
The Marvel Naan Sold at 5th Minneapolis Food Co-Op
Long-time customer, Linden Hills Co-Op in Minneapolis, MN, started carrying our Kernza® Naan. -
The Marvel Naan Made the Earth Day Lunch Buffet at KernzaCon 22
Connie Carlson, Forever Green Initiative, brought the bakery's Kernza® Naan, The Marvel, to the April 2022 international research conference held at the Land Institute, Salina, KS. Conference attendees enjoyed the Marvel along with other perennial crop foods at the Earth Day luncheon. Photo courtesy of Connie Carlson. -
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Kernza® Breads Sampled at Various Field Days
Our Kernza® breads appeared at various field days, including a July 7 Field Day at A-Frame Farm, Madison, MN; August 1 Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Kernza Field Day, East Troy, WI; August 18 Rosholt Research Farm Field Day, Pope county, MN; and Great River Greening's September 14 Kernza® Field Day, St. Peter, MN. -
The Marvel Naan and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Field Day
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute's Dr. Nicole Tautges ordered The Marvel online and the bakery mailed The Marvel packs for a special Kernza® event in Wisconsin, "Sustainability 3.0 Field Day." This is how "Delavan, WI" got added to the bakery's Wall of Naan Fame. -
Baked pan de medianoche kernza for Rosholt Research Farm Field Day
The bakery was thrilled to send our delicious bread, pan de medianoche kernza, to the Rosholt Research Farm's Field Day hosted by Pope County Soil and Water Conservation District, a neighboring county. And Gwen and Tahir had the pleasure of meeting Dennis Fuchs, Administrator, Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District, since Dennis transported the Kernza® breads to the field day. -
The Land Institute's Prairie Festival 2022
To wrap up a great summer of our Kernza breads at various perennial crop events, The Land Institute ordered some Marvel Naan and we dispatched it for their Prairie Festival 2022. Festival attendees sampled our naan along with other Kernza food and drink. Photo courtesy of Julia Williams. -
Kernza® Naan and Pita at Lakewinds Food Co-Ops
Long-time customer, Lakewinds Food Co-Ops, began carrying our Kernza® Naan and Pita. The bakery was honored when Lakewinds created two recipes for The Marvel Naan and posted them in March 2023. -
AURI Published Report on Kernza® Perennial Grain Value Chain Development in Central Minnesota
The bakery's Kernza® pilot project with AURI was a small part of the much larger work to advance Kernza® value chains for food and non-food uses. AURI's comprehensive report about their partnership with Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District includes endnotes, citations, plus extensive appendices, including a 32 page appendix by Northern Crops Institute, among others. -
The Watershed Podcast : Episode 29 Beer and Bread
Gwen had the chance to tell a great water story as part of the Becker, MN exhibit, "We Are Water MN," which was hosted by the Mississippi River St Cloud Watershed Collaborative. The water story she shared was the bakery's Kernza® story. Have a listen to Episode 29 Beer and Bread. -
The Marvel in St Paul's Mississippi Market Co-Ops
Mississippi Market Co-Op, with three locations in St Paul, began carrying a full range of the bakery's flatbreads, including The Marvel Naan.