Great Harvest

Bread bakery

Pete Wakeman had been baking bread most of his life. As a child, he would help his aunt. In high school, he baked for his friends. During summer vacations, he sold bread from the roadside. In 1976, when Wakeman heard about a bakery in Great Falls, Montana, that was going under, he bought it. With the help of his wife, Laura, Wakeman established the Great Harvest Bread Co. and set about baking loaves for people in the Great Falls community.

Soon, people from neighboring communities starting asking about setting up their own Great Harvest locations. The first franchise opened in Kalispell, Montana. In 1983, the Wakemans converted their Great Falls bakery into a franchise and moved company headquarters to Dillon, Montana, so they could concentrate on the franchising end of their business.

Great Harvest bakeries serve a variety of breads each day including honey whole wheat, white cheddar garlic, sunflower and cranberry orange.

Please Note: The operators of Great Harvest, may not have verified the accuracy of the Franchise information contained within this website. For accurate up-to-date information, customers are strongly recommended to visit the official Great Harvest website.

Start-up Costs & Franchises Fees

How much does it cost to open a Great Harvest Franchises?

Total Investment: $107,600-$476,350
Initial Franchise Fee: $3,000-$30,000
Royalty Fee: 4-7%
Advertising Fee: N/A
Term of Agreement: 10 years

How to contact Great Harvest

Great Harvest Franchising Inc.
28 S. Montana St.
Dillon, MT
59725

Phone: (406)683-6842
Toll Free: (800)442-0424
Fax: (406)683-5537

Website: Visit Website

Great Harvest News

Cook's Corner: Cyndy Murphy Bakes Through The Night
Name: Cyndy Murphy Residence: In Cedar Creek Age: 44 About Murphy: Murphy is a familiar face to customers at Great Harvest Bread Co. on Raeford Road. What they might not realize is just how much time she spends there baking fresh bread and sweets such as cookies. How did you end up at Gr... more

Cowboys Need Not Apply
Chris Tarpley, a 20-year veteran of manufacturing, knows a thing or two about the corporate world. But whether or not he'll be successful running the small business he plans to open in September remains to be seen. Tarpley, who was recently downsized from his job as a vice president with a... more

Great Harvest Bread Honored As World-class Franchise
The Franchise Research Institute has recognized Great Harvest as a 'World-Class Franchise" based on significant research. Great Harvest has received the honor five years in a row and is the only listed company with the special niche of 100 percent whole grain bread made daily from freshly gr... more

Whole Truth About Grains
Buying food made with whole grain is like buying a deluxe, new car. David Maxwell, manager of a Great Harvest Bread Co. store, teaches students about whole-wheat and whole grains by taking on the persona of "Kernel Wheat. The Value of Whole Grains Why should you care about adding wh... more

Teens Become Bakers To Help Friend
More than 30 Stow-Munroe Falls High School students stood elbow to elbow this week for a huge baking activity that yielded a lot of dough -- both literally and figuratively. Curiously, it had nothing to do with home economics. This was all about liver economics or, put another way, making sure the... more
View all Great Harvest Press Releases

Franchise History

When did the first Great Harvest open? 1976
When did Great Harvest start Franchising? 1978

Year U.S.A. Canada International Corporate

2005 193 0 0 8

2004 182 0 0 0

2003 171 0 0 1

2002 165 0 0 1

2001 166 0 0 1

Expansion Plans

International: Canada,

Financing Options

Expense In-House Third Party

Franchise Fee No Yes

Startup Costs No Yes

Equipment No Yes

Inventory No Yes

Accounts Receivable No No

Payroll No No

Other Financing Source(s): SBA and conventional loans

Training & Support

Support
Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing
Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising

Business Operations

10% of all franchisees own more than one unit
Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5 - 7

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Qualifications & Business Experience

Business Experience:

General business experience

Related Franchise Categories

Listing Tags

bakery, baking, baked goods, bread, whole wheat, wheat, whole grain, grain, whole wheat bread, montana mills, house of bread, breadsmith, panera, bread gift, breadgift, nutrition, nutritional, healthful, healthy, freedom

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