In 2019 Will & Charly crossed paths in Nelson, New Zealand.
He was heading back for another season in Alaska working for the Forest Service, she was set to move to Melbourne, Australia to continue her path as an English as a second language teacher. They bonded over their mutual history in Bozeman, Montana (where Will went to MSU and Charly grew up) and their love of travel. The following year they found themselves settling into a new life in Hobart, Tasmania when March of 2020 forced them to change plans. The familiarity and comfort of Montana drew them home. This is where the seed of the business was sown. Charly got hooked on baking (who didn’t?) and had plenty of time on her hands to make a sourdough starter and experiment with flour. She grew up on a wheat farm in the valley that had been in her family since the 1890s. Becoming a baker felt like a natural progression of her ancestry. As the couple spent the summer working for local small businesses, they could see themselves pursuing their own business idea. They spent many an evening on the front porch spitballing and scheming. Hoping to bring a unique food offering to town, Charly decided to hone in on the humble English Muffin. She thought it was a household staple that could be made exceptional with the right ingredients.
After months of test batches...
and encouragement from friends & family, they decided it was time to start Furrow & Fly in November of 2020. It began in their home kitchen with a pancake griddle and a 1960 Hobart mixer, but soon word of mouth spread and demand for their muffins exceeded their expectations. While they were looking for a commercial kitchen they moved into their garage where they could get better equipment and scale up. Finally, in August of 2023 they moved into a commercial kitchen where they have plenty of room to grow.
A lot has changed since the beginning, but they are still dedicated to having fun and connecting with their community through good food. They are proud to be a part of the small business community, and particularly love being a part of farmers’ markets.