As Kneaded Bakery is a Community Supported Bakery, founded and operated by Iliana Imberman Berkowitz. Inspired by the sourdough bread culture of California and the rich tradition of breads of her Jewish heritage, As Kneaded serves loaves that blend cultures and fill bellies. Iliana focuses her bakery on baguettes, challah, and a variety of sourdough hearth loaves, as well as a unique lineup of seasonal “noshes” (Yiddish for ‘snacks’) which we showcase at multiple weekly farmers’ markets.
Iliana founded As Kneaded in July 2016, after having spent several years honing her baking skills in kitchens and bakeries on both coasts. She wanted to build her own business–one that reflected her passion, taste, and depth of expertise. After developing an initial fan base through a weekly bread subscription program, known as “Bread Club,” As Kneaded Bakery made the leap to sell to wholesale accounts and farmers’ markets, thus bringing hearty, inspired breads to thousands more households across the Bay.
As her business grew, Iliana needed to move from a shared commercial kitchen into a space of her own. She started planning to move into a space that was large enough to accommodate her growing wholesale and farmers’ market clientele — and also allow for a small portion of space to be dedicated to direct sales of our loaves and noshes. She needed funding for new equipment to build out that space, and we couldn’t be happier that she came to PCV.
Having her own space creates the opportunity for plentiful direct sales to stores, markets, and consumers across the Bay Area, while also opening her kitchen to the public for sales of bread and gourmet toast, and to seize other direct sales opportunities such as monthly pop-ups, special holiday events, and bread classes. All of that means new jobs as well.
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