SPROUT MOMMA BAKERY BY TAYLOR KENT
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Ten years ago, around Christmastime, health coach Kim Tavino sought out to make gifts for her clients. Looking for something healthy and homemade, she began to tinker around with the idea of sprouted grain bread. After several tries and many hours in the kitchen, she came up with a recipe that satisfied her. She packaged the bread, sent it off to her clients, and didn’t give it another thought. A couple of days went by before she got the first phone call from a client raving about the bread. Then, another, and another, and another. Kim’s recipe was a huge hit, and her phone was ringing off the hook with people hoping to purchase more of her bread. Just like that, Sprout Momma Bakery was born. Kim wasted no time quickly turning her baking experiment into a successful business. Now, Sprout Momma Bakery is an island favorite, providing locals and beyond with nutritious artisan treats for nearly a decade. Kim Tavino isn’t the only mastermind behind Sprout Momma. After her initial success with the sprouted bread, she enlisted the help of her son, Ryan Fennessey, a well-known local chef. In the beginning stages of their business, Ryan would cut out a few extra hours of his day to drive over to his mom’s house and make breads before his own chef job. As Sprout Momma continued to grow at a rapid pace, Ryan worked hard to create a brand that would really define and differentiate the products, marrying European style breads with healthy rye and fermented goods. He began to experiment with yeast, baking some items with no yeast as well as making his own yeast for other products. Before long, Ryan had created a menu of varied options for customers. It was at this point that the business really took off. A pivotal point for Sprout Momma was when they cut a deal selling their breads to Whole
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Foods. Ryan left his job to become the Head Chef of Sprout Momma, and his sister Abby Fennessey was brought into the business alongside her mother and brother. Abby serves as a “jack of all trades” for the bakery as well as running the Sprout Momma media. The team also took on a pastry chef, Caitlin Anderson, to provide all the sweet treats for the bakery. Sprout Momma is currently housed on Cardinal Road, but the business’s success and constant evolvement has led Kim and her kids to decide that it’s time for expansion once again. In the near future, the team is hoping to move the Sprout Momma base to a larger site, one where customers have the space to sit down and enjoy their food on location. The coronavirus pandemic motivated Ryan to alter the Sprout Momma business model, adding in a new section of their menu comprised entirely of fresh, reasonable grab-and-go family meals. During the pandemic, the grab-and-go meals were essential staples for Sprout Momma regulars. The new options were so well-received that they remained a permanent extension of the menu, further inspiring Ryan to launch a bistro type lunch menu featuring sandwiches and spreads. In addition to grocery stores such as Whole Foods, the Sprout Momma products can be found in restaurants across the island including Redfish, Wise Guys, Lucky Rooster, The Omni, Sea Pines Resort, and Bluffton Room. A full-service bakery with a large and diverse menu, Sprout Momma truly has something for everyone. The heart and core of the business continues to shine through: a family with a passion for nutrition, creativity, and helping others. Sprout Momma is located at 21 Cardinal Road and can be reached through Facebook, their website, or by phone at (843) 715-2649.