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ESTHER'S GERMAN BAKERY
Vendor: Esther and Robert Nio
Although Esther’s German Bakery is best known for its hearty, toothsome wheat loaves, it’s the lure of Esther Nio’s sweet Hazelnut loaf that pulls some Market regulars out of bed early on Saturday mornings. All of Esther’s offerings, from her pretzels to her pastries, rolls, and loaves, are worth getting up early for. Esther should know – she starts packing up for the Market every Saturday at 5am, to bring baked goods that are so fresh, they don’t even start making the dough until 10pm the night before the Market. Fortunately, she doesn’t have to travel far; Esther’s kitchen is located in Mountain View. But Esther and husband Robert Nio had to come all the way from Germany before they began to bake at all. They came to the U.S. in 1997 and really missed the hearty breads and scrumptious desserts they had grown up enjoying in Germany. They founded the bakery in April 2004, which is the same year they started selling at PAFM. Esther’s also sells wholesale and at small grocery stores, as well as to some corporate accounts, like Google and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. As their products have increased in popularity, Esther started thinking about a retail bakery and, after two years of searching and several disappointments, Esther’s is finally going to have a retail location at the San Antonio Shopping Center in Mountain View later this year. Esther also has a catering business. What keeps people coming back to Esther’s, besides the delicious taste? Esther contends that it’s her special variety of freshly baked goods in the European-German tradition, made with only high-quality ingredients, like organic whole wheat flour, organic seeds, olive oil, and butter. “PAFM is different than other farmers’ markets,” says Esther. “The clients are different – they know what they want, and they want the best quality.” And of course, PAFM customers are not afraid to express their opinions and suggestions. Sometimes customer suggestions find their way into their products - dipping their “granola bars” in chocolate was a customer suggestion. All notes and comments from clients, good or bad, are posted in their bakery. Esther enjoys meeting the expectations and responding to the ideas of Market customers, and she also likes the relaxed atmosphere at PAFM. “The people are always nice, and vendors at PAFM are very friendly to each other.” Europeans often approach Esther about “their” bread – can Esther bake it for them? And, Esther adds with a laugh, “for some reason, children always love to bang on the sneeze guards!”
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