Help Scale A Minority-Owned Micro Bakery

One Loaf at a Time: Our Story

I saw how fresh, unprocessed food shaped my family’s health at home in Pakistan, compared to the more processed diet in Canada and United States, places I've called home for the last two decades.

This contrast has inspired a lifelong commitment to mindful eating and an active lifestyle.

In 2020, after a routine surgery led to life-threatening complications, followed by a concussion, and years of recovery, I began exploring food’s impact on health and blood sugar. My research led me to the ancient practice of long-fermented breads, a process that transforms high-glycemic flour into nourishing, low-glycemic baked goods.

Disappointed by the inauthenticity of store-bought sourdough, I sourced a 130-year-old starter and have spent a year perfecting sourdough that doesn’t spike my blood sugar. Since starting to offer my bread and baked goods for sale, demand for my bakery has skyrocketed. I went from three orders per week to a thriving weekly menu of sourdough breads, chocolate chip cookies, naan, English muffins, and more.

Baking has not only helped me heal, it has allowed me to nourish my community, and support my family, one loaf at a time.

– Amena Chaudhry, Founder and Chief Baker at Hannoun Sourdough

Help Hannoun Sourdough Scale Up

Demand for fresh baked sourdough has outpaced my kitchen's capacity. I now need to invest in a commercial bread oven, mixer, and additional storage to deliver higher volumes to my community without burning out and while caring for my body and energy. With your support, I can scale my operations, share the joy of real sourdough with more people, and continue this journey of healing and connection—one loaf at a time.

My goal is to scale up from porch pick-ups to weekly markets and custom orders. I am launching this crowdfunding kickstarter campaign to help raise community funds for a deck, brick oven designed specifically for in-home microbakeries and for the kind of bread I bake.

An oven, along with a commercial mixer, fridge, and other key equipment will be a game changer in so many ways. They will allow me to make the same quality bread at greater volumes with more efficiency in my baking process and time while lowering the physical burden on my body.

To top it all, baking at higher volumes will allow me to switch to locally sourced organic flour and other ingredients.

This equipment is a huge step in the evolution of Hannoun Sourdough and I cannot do this without the support of my community and friends, near and far!

I am SO excited to continue bringing our sourdough loaves and other long-fermented baked goods to my local community.

This fundraiser is the boost I need to continue building Hannoun Sourdough.

Every single contribution helps.

In addition to this fundraiser, there are other ways to help.

We know you are bombarded with donation requests this time of year, but this venture will not last without these funds.

Thank you, in advance, for anything you are able to do to help.

With heart & gratitude,

Amena