Nashoba Brook Bakery opened for business on September 11, 1998 in an old warehouse in Concord, Massachusetts on the banks of the Nashoba Brook, a tributary of the Assabet River. They — Stuart Witt and John Gates — dreamed about and planned for that day for more than a year. For several years, Stu had worked for a successful artisan bread company in Burlington, Vermont. John had just completed law school at the University of Virginia, but decided to forego plans to be an environmental advocate and join Stu instead in a burst of entrepreneurial energy.

From the beginning, they committed to starting a business that would take care of its employees, and give back to the community, while at the same time creating a space for people to meet, to talk and to organize around important social, cultural and political issues.

In the end, the bakery’s home was designed to be many businesses fit into one space. There is, of course, the kitchens – about 4,000 square feet anchored by a massive 32,000 pound French bread oven with windows all around so that café patrons are able to look in on the operation. The café is L-shaped with one side dedicated to take-out customers and the other filled with tables and chairs. In a back corner there are couches and armchairs, magazines and a few toys. The bakery also serves a growing network of gourmet markets, sandwich shops, caterers, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and other cafes. So Nashoba Brook Bakery is a wholesale bread and pastry business, a retail bakery, a café, a takeout lunch spot, and a coffee shop all under one roof.