Mark Friend is the bread master behind Farm To Market Bread Co. He trained at both the San Francisco Baking Institute and the American Institute of Baking. After moving to Kansas City in the late 1970s, he worked as a pastry chef at Crown Center, head baker at La Bonne Bouche, and production manager for Pacific Baking Co. He is considered one of the leading experts on natural sour starters among industry professionals, and has lectured on sourdough at the American Institute of Baking and at national conventions. A founding member of the Bread Baker’s Guild, Mark is majority stockholder and President of Farm To Market Bread Co.

Mark and fellow Kansas Citian Fred Spompinato started Farm To Market Bread Co. in 1993, and our artisan bread company continues to be locally owned. Our business office and bakery is located in the heart of Waldo at 216 West 73 Street, where we employ more than 30 Kansas City metro area residents.

Farm To Market Bread Co. provides bread in hearth, sliced, specialty and seasonal varieties of breads. Farm To Market delivers fresh bread seven days a week, 363 days a year to more than 40 local grocery stores and more than 90 restaurants in the greater Kansas City metro area. Throughout the year, we produce 250,000 loaves of bread and rolls per month.

At Farm To Market Bread Co., we pride ourselves on using only natural ingredients and organic starters. Our simple, traditional bread-making methods also help bring out the freshness of our products. Plus, we don’t add any preservatives or artificial additives to our bread. And that assures you, our customers, that you are eating the freshest, best tasting and often the most nutritional breads available anywhere.