A Brand With a Long Shelf Life

Nutshell principal Lisa Awrey grew up in the Midwest where it was often hard to escape her own family brand. Her father’s family had owned and operated a commercial bakery in Detroit for generations. Known as “America’s Hometown Bakery,” Awrey’s was synonymous with quality baked goods and a ubiquitous windmill logo.

The family’s heritage was not Dutch, but during a visit to Holland Lisa’s great grandparents found the Dutch people and traditions so warm and wholesome, they decided to adopt the windmill as the symbol for their growing business.

The family no longer owns the company, but the baked goods still bear the Awrey name and original logo. The products haven’t changed much since 1910 when Lisa’s great grandmother first began baking them in her wood-fired oven and her great grandfather began delivering them on his bicycle.

Today, whenever Lisa travels or has occasion to mention her last name to someone from the Midwest, invariably they ask,  “Are you any relation to the bakery, the one with the windmill? That Long John coffee cake was my favorite thing they made."

It’s still one of the brand's best sellers.