ABOUT US

A Fresh Start


Great Harvest Bakery Cafe Owner Statement

Beaver Dam has been a great place to raise our kids and grow our business.  Once our children were grown and we were able to step away from the day to day responsibilities of running our business, we realized the importance of helping Beaver Dam continue to be a great place to raise children and for local entrepreneurs to start and grow a business.  Downtown Beaver Dam was the obvious place to start.  After getting involved with Downtown Beaver Dam Inc. (DBDI) and researching effective methods of revitalizing a struggling “Main Street,” we decided to invest in revitalizing some buildings and help attract and start businesses that would make a positive impact and be a catalyst to further improvements and growth.  

When a home brewer visited Beaver Dam interested in opening a craft brewery, we had the opportunity to start OOGA Brewing Company with our head brewer, Jeff Scanlan and Sarah Ferree, a “home-grown brewer.”  We helped their dreams come true and helped energize South Spring Street.

We visited a Great Harvest Bakery and Café in downtown Oconomowoc and thought, “Wow! This would be great to have in Beaver Dam!”  The Great Harvest franchise offers proven recipes and a successful business strategy while allowing the freedom to “be local.”  Visits to other Great Harvest locations just confirmed the amazing product quality and level of customer service, and we committed to opening a bakery café in Beaver Dam.  The old Kornely/Newton Wenz building seemed to be the perfect place. Natalie Haushalter manages the business side of things.  Besides phenomenal bread, goodies and sandwiches, we hope Great Harvest will be a positive impact in the community, bringing people and more businesses downtown.  

We also hope to support area residents and organizations that are in need.  Beaver Dam is an amazingly supportive community with many organizations and nonprofits helping to make this a welcoming, caring and safe place to live.  We are strong supporters of PAVE, helping victims of abuse and children, often at the lowest point in their lives, turn their lives around to a life of dignity and a positive, productive future.  While Beaver Dam has a strong arts community, we would like to see it expand further and for downtown to become universally known for its arts and entertainment offerings, attracting visitors to enjoy live theater, art galleries and classes, dining and boutique shopping.



Our Great Harvest looks like no other Great Harvest out there. We operate under a “Freedom Franchise.” The “Freedom” part means that we get to run our business in a way that meets our community’s unique needs. The “Franchise” part gives us access to the recipes and processes that Great Harvest has continuously improved for over three decades. The result is breads and sweets that will knock your socks off!

Thanks for stopping by, we’re glad you came!
Great Harvest Bakery Cafe of Beaver Dam
WE'D LOVE TO BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU