Specialty Food Magazine

"We are certified annually, and the test gets harder every year," Colberg says. "We've continued to try to do better and carry on the legacy." Then came the challenges of last spring, a true test, confronting food shortages and consumer fear. They consulted with their suppliers and milling partners to see how fast they could ramp up production, adding shifts while maintaining physical distance for safety reasons. The flour supply chain was further constrained by bagging capacity. Some outlets managed to collect 50-pound sacks and weigh it out themselves to get it on the shelves. "We had to react in the moment," she says. "It's a testament to how you can make decisions within days to do things that might normally take weeks or months." Marketing efforts were moved online, creating how-to videos for Facebook Live, Instagram, and YouTube. The company's school and cafe-bakery were forced to close. Workers and teachers from those endeavors were redeployed to support manufacturing and the phone lines. the operation, eventually moving the headquarters to Vermont and broadening their reach through a popular catalog and recipe-rich website offering scores of additional baking ingredients and kitchen equipment. King Arthur Flour The King Arthur Flour brand itself didn't make an official debut until the Boston Food Fair in 1896. The name was said to be inspired by a musical the partners saw based on Camelot's King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table who espoused values of honesty, purity, loyalty, and strength. Since the company's flour was made of the highest grade, nutrient-rich wheat and naturally pure through a painstaking milling process, using no chemical additives or bleach, why not give it a chivalrous name? Over time, the signature flour proved to be so widely recognized for quality that the company was renamed King Arthur Flour more than 100 years later, in 1999. Frank and Brinna Sands, the company's fifth generation owners, proved to be gallant themselves, opening the King Arthur Flour Bakery and Baking Education Center in 2000, attracting both amateur and professional bakers to the sprawling Vermont campus. By that time, the couple had decided to sell the company to their loyal workers, a transaction that became complete in 2004. Today there are 350-375 employee-owners, depending on the season. According to the National Center for Employee Ownership, roughly 6,500 U.S. companies sponsor an Employee Stock Ownership Plan including Bob's Red Mill and Publix Super Markets. "Even though it was run like a business, they treated people like owners, and that mentality is still strong today," Colberg says. "Frank always said, 'Do the right thing,' so it's instilled in our DNA." She joined King Arthur in 2004 and became co-CEO in 2016. (Ralph Carlton is the other co-CEO.) To drive home the do-the- right-thing philosophy, King Arthur became a founding B Corp member in 2007. The third-party certification process involved changing the company's bylaws to confirm its commitment to using business as a force for good when it comes to employees, the community, partners, stakeholders, and the environment. Karen Colberg Age: 55 Years in specialty food: 15 Favorite food: Dark chocolate is a daily requirement for me. Least favorite food: Red meat Last thing I ate and loved: Quinoa salad with grilled corn, grilled broccoli, and grilled asparagus. We started a garden so we're growing the greens ourselves. If I weren't in the food business I'd be: Running a small cafe or bakery on my own or I might try to have a little bed-and- breakfast. I love hosting and cooking and baking for others. One piece of advice I'd give to a new food business: You have to learn from your customers, and they'll help fuel your passion. Test and ask and test and ask and be prepared to pivot even if it's in conflict with your passion and intuition. PHOTOS KING ARTHUR BAKING COMPANY – SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM PRODUCER PROFILE

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