By Erica Bowlin For The Times-Tribune
Anna King was living an average life — she was working full-time at an international banking company and making a good living. But after giving birth to her second child, she decided average just wasn’t good enough.
Anna knew she had to make some changes.
“I knew I wanted to be at home with my babies,” she said.
She wasn’t sure if staying home to raise her children was even financially possible, but the more she prayed, the more she knew that God would make a way.
Anna began to do some soul searching, hoping God would bless her with the opportunity to spend more time with her family and do something that would be both financially and spiritually rewarding. Anna also had a very strong desire to be a witness for God.
And then Anna began to dream about bread.
“It was the funniest thing; I just kept seeing little loaves of bread with scriptures attached,” she said. “I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I knew God had a big plan for me, and it would only succeed if I put him first in every decision I made.”
She continued praying and planning, and kept thinking about the little loaves of bread.
“I knew I needed to start this business, but how? I didn’t know how to run a business. Who would do the accounting? Most of all, I don’t bake, so who was going to bake the bread?” she said. “I kept coming back to a scripture, Matthew 6:33, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.’”
Anna knew if she continued to strive, and kept trusting in God’s wisdom, everything would somehow work out.
Luckily, Anna’s sister Barbara Napier is a talented baker. She was overwhelmed with joy when her sister told her about the dreams of starting a company.
“I was looking for work at the time that Anna approached me with the idea. When she explained it to me, I knew the whole thing was meant to be. I jumped right on board, because I knew it was part of God’s plan for my life,” she said.
Anna managed the business side, turning the basement in her London home into a bakery and taking care of legal issues, while Barbara began by trying out recipes from an old family cookbook.
They decided to call the company Makers Bread.
And so it began around Valentine’s Day. Family and friends got the business started by ordering gift baskets full of banana walnut and lemon tea bread.
Word spread quickly, and the orders started coming in. Soon Anna got the courage to walk in to local businesses and ask for help selling her bread. Weavers Hot Dogs in London was glad to accept, along with Moonbow Coffeehouse in Corbin and the Secret Chef in London. The mini loaves are available in a variety of flavors for $4. Each loaf is wrapped by hand and includes a biblical quote.
There are exciting things happening for Makers Bread. Three new flavors are being introduced, including lemon poppy seed, chocolate chip pecan and apple raisin. Mother’s Day gift baskets are also available.
Anna is busy juggling the responsibilities of running a business with those of being a mother. There are sales calls to be made and meetings to attend, but Anna, for the most part, is a stay-at-home mom. Of course there have been challenges along the way, but with support from her husband, her family, her mother Etsie, and her pastor, Anna looks to the future with hope.
“It’s wonderful how many blessings the Lord will bestow upon you, if you just believe in him and follow the path he has set for you,” she said.
Anna wraps a beautiful little loaf of banana walnut and laughs.
“You know I just realized that it is truly a miracle how this is all working out,” she said. “When I go in to sell my bread to someone, many times it turns into a fellowship and a chance to be a witness. Of course, one of the greatest rewards is that my dream came true, and I get to be home with my children. Yes, God is good!”
To learn more about Makers Bread or to place an order visit www.makersbread.com or call 606-862-0216.
