More Denver chefs are entering the wholesale food space, and this time it’s a team effort. Alex Seidel and Matt Vawter — of Fruition and Mercantile — have teamed up with Keegan Gerhard and Lisa Bailey — of D Bar — to launch Füdmill, a wholesale pastry business.
Füdmill signed an exclusive agreement with Whole Foods Market to bring 12 varieties of fresh pastries, including chocolate croissants, seasonal muffins, scones and more to the grocer’s Denver locations including Cherry Creek, Wash Park, Colorado Boulevard and Tamarac. These baked goods are similar to favorites served at D Bar, Merchantile and Fruition.
The foursome joined forces so they can focus on the art and craftsmanship of traditional pastry-making on a larger scale. Their goal is to provide top-notch pastries to the everyday consumer, and they’ve brought on other Denver greats to help advise — like Adam Schlegel, co-founder of Snooze. The name Füdmill pays homage to the group’s collective German roots.
“Alex, Keegan, Matt and Lisa are some of the most talented, passionate and awarded chefs in the country. Seeing them come together to share their love of food and craft is powerful for our food scene,” said Schlegel. “The pastries are sensational and it’s exciting to see them available in restaurants and Whole Foods Markets.”
“Pastry isn’t something that’s easy to do well in high production kitchens due to space and logistics,” said Seidel. “Opening our own pastry kitchen provides the luxury of more time and space to explore the art, and we’re able to create much higher quality recipes and pastries that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Füdmill has set up a bakery in Denver’s Northeast Corridor near Swansea, where community-based food operatives like the GrowHaus, Denver Urban Gardens and more have invested.