Joe Italiano, owner of Hummingbird Bread, Joe Italiano started out making bread as a hobby, but soon he was making and selling enough Hummingbird Bread to create a business. He says, “There are two major things that keep me going as a baker and breathe life into what I am trying to create: The quality of the ingredients I use in the food I create and making that food accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of their financial situation. As a previous farmer, and farm educator and current homesteader on Whidbey, I am committed to feeding people honest, nourishing food.“
His experience and ethics lead him to use only organic, minimally processed ingredients (no white flour). He mills a large portion of the flour himself, just before mixing, and uses very long proofing times to break gluten down more fully. He notes, “This also vastly improves the flavor!”
The other element that he feels is unique is that he has chosen a special economic model. There is a sign next to his bread that says “Pay what feels right.” He says this gives people the option to choose to pay less if would be more affordable for them, or to pay a little more in order to subsidize other bread lovers who may need to pay less. He adds, “The response on the island to the donation framework has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Joe researched recipes and chose healthy ingredients. As he got further into baking he began to adopt methods that increased the complexity of the flavors of the bread while making it more digestible. He notes, “This was also in part because I have trouble digesting a lot of modern breads that use commercial yeast, highly hybridized grains, and that may contain the herbicide glyphosate, which is routinely used in the growing and curing of wheat in large commercial operations in the U.S.” Joe adds, “I believe gluten is NOT a problem for most people's systems—it has more to do with all of the above factors.”
Joe was an avid farmer in the San Diego area, but decided he wanted to move from there to escape the droughts, water shortages and fires. He had looked at possibilities in the Northwest, but it was his partner, Bryn, whom he met seven years ago on a visit to the Olympic Peninsula, who encouraged him to share a life with her on Whidbey Island. When they began looking for farm property, they quickly found the perfect five-acre homestead in Greenbank where they could raise sheep, goats, chickens and ducks, and grow food in their garden beds.
Once Joe was settled in Greenbank, he began making bread for friends and refining his practices. He began receiving orders for small catering jobs calling for 10 to 20 loaves. Then more people began nudging him to get something going on a larger scale as the demand for flavorful and nutritious bread was growing in the community.
Joe developed a friendship with Annie Jesperson and Nathaniel Talbot, who own Deep Harvest farm, and they worked an arrangement to provide a bread CSA with their seasonal veggie CSA. Then, a spot opened at the Bayview Farmer’s Market, and he is now able to sell his breads there while the market is open (April to October). His bread will also be available on the Whidbey Island Grown Food Hub website throughout the year beginning in early November. He also provides loaves of bread to the Greenbank Pantry once a week.
More than 150 loaves of Hummingbird Bread are now being sold every week. Joe says: “The community has been incredibly supportive, especially of my donation-based payment system. Joe also says that system has resulted in a lot of conversations around ways to move toward more sane and viable economics for everyone and make vital, life-sustaining food as available as it should be.
Joe and Bryn are happy with their lives on Whidbey and are pleased that they can raise their three-year old son, Colibri (which means hummingbird in Italian) in this community.
If you are interested in getting Hummingbird bread this fall and winter (including 6- and 8-week bread subscriptions) you can contact Joe at hummingbirdbakery18@gmail.com.
