Although Pan-O-Gold Baking Company, the bakers of Country Hearth and Village Hearth products, has roots in the early 1900s, the products themselves have only been around since the ’70s. But the story of Country Hearth bread goes back a bit earlier.
A new era for bread
Renowned for being a decade of change, the 1960s also introduced a new method of aerating bread, known as the Chorleywood process. This method produced the large, white, sliced loaves of bread, becoming the standard at most grocery stores and the favorite of kids’.
In 1963, Roush Bakery Products developed a recipe for the first multigrain bread, trademarked as Hillbilly. Licenses to produce and market the bread were sold to other baking companies, including the bakers of Country Hearth. The bread was marketed as being simple with wholesome ingredients, as seen in this commercial from 1978.
The birth of a brand
The healthier, multigrain bread was a hit. With consumer demand came other multigrain and whole-wheat recipes and opportunities. Thus, the Country Hearth brand was born.
Pan-O-Gold began producing and distributing Country Hearth premium products throughout most of the Midwest in the mid-’70s, but it wasn’t until around 1990 that they had the rights to sell Country Hearth products in Wisconsin. Enter the Village Hearth line of products. Baked with the same attention to quality, Pan-O-Gold developed this line to ensure Wisconsinites could enjoy high-quality breads and buns just like their neighbors to the west. Village Hearth became so popular that it continued even after the Wisconsin licensure was obtained.
The best of the Midwest
We are continuously adding new products to our Country Hearth and Village Hearth brands, including our new line of Artisan Hearth Gourmet products. And with our nine-state distribution area, Midwesterners can enjoy all three brands!.
