Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Beach. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Dan and Brooke Beach met and were married in Georgia in 2009. Dan served in the Navy for 8 years, moving across the country several times until finally settling in Hernando in 2018. Along with their 4 children, they live on a small, family farm that focuses on soil health and sustainability. Their passion for sharing flavorful, nutrient-dense food with friends and family ultimately led to selling fresh produce and sourdough bread at the Hernando Farmer’s Market.
Dan was working as a maintenance technician at a steel mill in Memphis when he broke his leg in 2021. Finding himself confined to his recliner, he began a deeper study of quality grains, baking traditions, and the benefits of fermented foods. Once he was back on his feet, he began refining his process and training up his friend Josh to join him on his adventure. After about a year of selling at the Hernando Farmer’s Market as Big Acres Farm, Dan and Josh quit their jobs and created Wild Cultures Sourdough Bakery, a family-run business dedicated to serving their community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Yes and no. The support from the community has made this a lot easier, and God has removed a lot of obstacles for us along the way, but I was not prepared for the mental strain and stress.
We brought on some new team members and we adjusted our process and schedule until it was smoother and more enjoyable for everyone, so things are starting to smooth out as we find a good rhythm.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wild Cultures Sourdough Bakery?
Wild Cultures is a bakery that specializes in naturally leavened products. Our bread and pastries are leavened by a community of wild yeasts and probiotic organisms. These probiotic organisms produce lactic acid, which preserves freshness, inhibits mold, promotes digestibility, and develops unique flavors such as the sourness that lead to these products being referred to as “sourdough”.
Our mission is to promote real, clean food, and make it more accessible to the people in our community, starting with the most basic and ubiquitous form of sustenance, bread. In the same way, a small community of microorganisms can completely alter the characteristics of a large amount of flour and water, we hope that our “wild culture” can affect a shift toward a healthier community that values real food, local producers, and real connections with each other.
What matters most to you? Why?
Many things matter a great deal to me, but in the context of this business, it would be the quality of ingredients.
We prioritize ingredients that produce a more flavorful and digestible product, and we want to support and develop a local economy that can provide us with the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Nothing is perfect yet, but we try to get closer every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildculturessourdoughbakeryhernando.com/
- Instagram: @wcsbhernando
- Facebook: @wcsbhernando
