Saturday Farmers’ Market Vendor Feature: A Bread Affair

A frequent vendor from the start of our market this week we are featuring A Bread Affair! A Bread Affair crafts delicious, organic bread and baked goods, by connecting with our local farmers, our community, and our earth. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with store manager, Flora Poole, to find out more.

How long has A Bread Affair been around? How did you get started?

A Bread Affair was established in Langley in 2006. And we are in our 9th year at Granville Island. We have been participating in Farmers Market throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland for over 10 years.

Tanya Belanger, the founder, and the owner wanted to focus on quality. Against factory farming and industrial food production, she wanted to work with her hands and establish a loaf that was healthy and sustainable.

What are the three most important things you think people should know about A Bread Affair?

A Bread Affair is the first Certified Organic Artisan Bakery in British Columbia.
We not only focuses on providing a tasty organic product but also stand to promote the best produce Vancouver has to offer. From sourcing grains from farmers in the Fraser Valley to sourcing apples from the Okanagan, and blueberries from Bradner, we stand by our home and its offerings, promoting a sustainable and locally focused way of life.
We stand by our values of promoting local, sustainable production and creating healthy and organic food. We stand against industrial production, factory farming, and ‘cheap and fast’ centered production.

Why did you choose to come to the UBC Saturday Market specifically?

To be apart of local agriculture. Co-founder Pat McCarthy’s legacy was his focus on the importance of building connections with local farmers and agriculture. As initially expressed, A Bread Affair stands to promote what Vancouver has to offer. A lot of the produce we receive from UBC is often used in our store on Granville Island.

You mention on your site bring sustainable principles and environmental practices into baking, what are some ways you do this?

All bread that is not sold is donated to non-profit organizations around Vancouver. There is no product that lands in the landfill. If not donated, it is given to livestock. Helping the local production cycle.
Many of our packages are biodegradable or recyclable.
Our delivery fleet is all powered by natural gas.
All food scraps are composted.
By using certified organic flour, no round up (herbicide) is sprayed into the earth or wheat.

What goes into sourcing ingredients for your bread?

Quality – you can only produce a quality product with quality ingredients.
Organic – Is it organic?
Local – Where is it sourced?

What is the advantage of using organic varietal flour compared with conventional varieties?

Non-organic flour is a mix of milled wheat. We have better control over the end product when using one organic varietal because the flour is milled to our specification. Having a local partnership helps our ability to achieve this as well. It all comes down to understanding that when dealing with mass processing, the quality changes. In sourcing organic grains, we are upholding our standards of quality, as well as providing a healthier alternative to bread made with conventional varieties

If you could only have one of your baked goods for the rest of your life which one would it be?

The Double Brown Butter Valrhona Cookie is my ultimate weakness. Put it in the oven for 15 secconds and it melts in your mouth.

Where else can customers find you? And is there anything else you want them to know for this season?

Our own store at 1680 Johnston St, Granville Island on Triangle Square, our wholesale location in Langley, and at several other farmers markets across the Lower Mainland. We want to thank all our customers for supporting us during this time. Thank you for coming to the market and seeing us! We love to see your faces and it is from your local support that we can continue providing you with great products!