(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Welcome to "A Shot of Ag."

I'm your host, Rob Sharkey.

Would you start a business at 21 years old?

Would you start a business in rural America?

Well, our guest today did.

Kamryn Lindstrom.

You're from Henry, Illinois.

Is that right?

- That's where my business is.

I'm from outside of Chillicothe, Illinois, Marshall County.

- So you're already being difficult, right?

Okay.

You're from Chillicothe, but you're based out of Henry as far as the bakery's concerned.

- Correct, yes, yes.

- Henry, the best dam city by a dam- - Yeah, we figured that out a little bit, right?

- Dam site or something.

- Yep.

- Dam.

- We had to get something for Henry, I mean.

- I guess.

Dam.

You want to say it once?

- What?

Do I want to say it?

- Yeah.

- Dam.

(laughs) - Okay.

You're 22 now?

- Yes.

- You started a business at 21.

- I did.

- The Farmer's Daughter Bread Company.

- Yeah.

- Or is it Bread Co?

- Either or.

It's spelled Co, but you can say Company.

It's an abbreviation.

So, whatever you like.

- Where is this in Henry?

- It is on Western Avenue right across from Birkey's, the Case dealership, so.

- Oh.

Okay, all right.

Why'd you pick Henry?

- Well, my family started having some more farms there, and we found this building by chance, and it actually ended up working out for all of us.

And Henry is a super supportive, small community.

They've got a lot of small businesses and- - Is it really?

- They are for sure.

- [Rob] I mean, you kind of have to say that, right?

- Well, I am slightly obligated, but I do actually believe that's true.

- Okay, well, that's good.

- Yes.

- So you pick it there.

I mean, how do you even start?

I mean, do you just put something up on the internet, "Hey, we're gonna have a bakery"?

- Yeah, so I actually started out of my parents' house three years ago and I started making little videos and posting them on TikTok and Facebook, of me just making everything that I would make from home, and I had some people who started to like my videos and watch my videos more.

And then in, what was it, March, both my sisters were pregnant, they were both pregnant, and so they asked me to make them pizza crust for the freezer so that after they had their babies, they could have some frozen pizzas just to throw in the oven.

So, I made this huge stack of pizza crusts, and I made like a 10 second video about it and put it on Facebook, and all I did was move the pizza crust from one place to another in the video.

That's all I did.

And I actually ended up getting like over 10 million views across different platforms.

- Isn't it so dumb?

The algorithm.

- Yeah, it's crazy.

I would have never thought that was the video that would get views.

And so from that, I gained about 10,000 followers on Facebook, and so I now have like 13,000 followers, which isn't anything crazy, but it actually brought in a lot of business for me.

And so I had a lot more people excited about trying my items.

And so that is really what kind of pushed me forward into doing this and brought more people in for sure.

- Well, how'd you get into baking?

- Well, I've been baking pretty much my whole life, 10 plus years.

My mom and my grandmas, they baked, and so I would bake with them a lot.

And then when I was 11, my sister and I were in an ATV accident, and so I had a skull fracture, and yeah, it wasn't a fun time, and severe concussion, and so I wasn't able to do a lot.

And so I started baking from home, and I just enjoyed it.

- With a severe concussion.

- Yes.

(chuckles) So my measurements might have been a little off on some things, you never know, but... - I totally didn't think of that joke.

- (laughs) Yeah, yeah.

I wasn't able to do a lot, like, physical activity.

I obviously couldn't look at screens very much or anything, so that's what I did.

- Okay, so we had you on the XM show, and I told you, if you came to PBS, I wanted you to bring cinnamon rolls.

Because you said you were known for your cinnamon rolls, right?

- I am, yes, yes.

- And I asked you, "Do you have enough frosting on there?"

And you said your customers said they wanted less.

- Yes, that is correct.

Most of them.

- And I disagreed without even tasting them.

So you brought as these, but you also brought- - Extra.

- Superfluous frosting.

Frosting or icing?

- I call it frosting.

- Okay, all right.

I mean, I think we've talked long enough, haven't we?

All right.

So I got to get my pocket knife because PBS can't afford kitchen knives, I guess.

- [Kamryn] I guess not.

- It's a three blade.

I think I'll go with a long one.

- [Kamryn] There you go.

- Is there one, 'cause this one's more raised, is there one better than the other?

- No, but that one looks the best to me.

- That one looks the best.

Okay, all right.

- It's also the biggest.

(Kamryn laughs) - [Rob] Okay.

- You're gonna be covered in frosting.

(laughs) - We'll see, we'll see.

This is great TV.

I'm trying to be all polite here.

Okay.

Yeah, I can tell right now there's not enough frosting on it, but I'll try it with your amount.

(no audio) (Kamryn laughs) Okay, it's good.

- Okay.

- It's good, but there's not enough frosting.

- Load it up, load it up.

- Okay, all right.

See, this isn't... Actually, I'm just gonna put the finger in there.

Hope you didn't want that back.

- [Kamryn] I didn't.

That's yours for sure.

- Okay, to me, this looks like the right amount.

- [Kamryn] Okay.

- Well, that's good.

- Thank you.

(laughs) - Is this carb free?

- No.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

(both laughing) (no audio) Does that change your mind a little?

Is it better than good?

(laughs) (Kamryn chuckles) It's always a good sign when there's no more talking.

I know.

I broke your rules.

- What part of shush don't you understand?

Chillicothe gals, I tell you.

(no audio) (Kamryn chuckles) (Kamryn chuckles) Okay.

- [Kamryn] So does it get the stamp of approval, or?

- You're gonna do well.

- Thank you.

(laughs) - Yeah.

I don't have any napkins.

That is a 10.

That's a 10 out of 10.

- Thank you.

- Y'all, you guys want to try one?

Hey, come on up, get you one.

Here, I'll cut this.

- He won't add the extra frosting with his finger for you guys.

- No, you're on your own with that, yeah.

Okay.

Ooh.

Now, careful of that.

I got my knife in there.

There you go.

You want one?

See, it's like a zoo.

Old timer pocket knife.

Yeah.

(no audio) - Mm.

Buttery.

- Thank you.

- To be fair, he'll eat anything.

- Well... - It's good though, isn't it?

Yeah, it's very good.

All right.

- This isn't like the stuff out of the dumpster I normally eat.

- Well, that's a compliment, I guess.

(both laughing) - Okay, I can see why you are going to be famous for those.

In all seriousness, those are absolutely delicious.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- Is that a family recipe?

- It's not.

I actually came up with that one on my own.

- Really?

- Yes.

- Okay.

And then what do we got here?

- That is a blueberry Danish.

- [Rob] Oh.

And did you come up with this too?

- Kind of, yes.

- What do you mean kind of?

- It's similar recipe to the cinnamon rolls, but yeah, I came up with the rest of it on my own.

- That's big.

- Yeah.

I don't sell anything that's too small.

I like people to get a full hearty bit.

- I'm gonna put that over here.

And then just the bread?

- Yep, that's just sourdough bread.

- The people love this stuff, don't they?

- Yes, they do.

- I don't know, is it make your gut better or something?

What's the big deal with this?

- It is supposed to be gut healthy, so technically, it's a fermented bread, so the gluten is broken down further.

- [Rob] Did you do the little... What is that?

- That's called scoring.

I did do that, yes.

- This is warm.

- [Kamryn] Yeah, I warmed it up a little bit before I came.

- Okay.

And the mohawk, that's beautiful.

- Yeah, they actually call that an ear.

- That's not so- - If you cut it in half fully this way and you look at it, it looks like a bunny, and that looks like the bunny's ear.

So that's what they call it.

- Well, okay.

(Kamryn chuckles) - If we're gonna get technical.

(laughs) - So, on your Facebook there, I saw when you opened, you had a huge line.

- I did, yes.

And a few weekends after that, I've also still had huge lines.

But yeah, it was something I was absolutely not expecting at all, but I'm so very glad, because almost every weekend, now I'm getting it a little more figured out, but definitely the weekend I opened, I did not sleep at all the entire weekend.

I stayed up every night baking everything to make sure I had enough prepared.

So, it was crazy.

Yeah.

We had about 200 people who came through that day.

- 200 people.

- Yeah, it was crazy.

- In Henry, Illinois.

- In Henry, yeah.

We had a line out the door, and I sold out in I think an hour or two.

It was crazy.

- Do you sell out often?

- I do often.

It's slowing down a little bit now, you know, the crazy boom of she just opened, that slowed down a little bit, but I still, at least one day a weekend, I still sell out.

- Are you open every day?

- [Kamryn] I'm open Friday through Sunday.

- Friday through Sunday, okay.

And these are the best seller?

- They are, and those are only available on Saturdays and Sundays.

- Oh.

Oh, why not make those every day?

- Well, they take a lot of time and effort.

- I don't care.

- (laughs) So the cinnamon rolls alone take me about six to eight hours to make every time I make them.

So, yeah, given the amount that I make, they do, so.

- Now, is this just a regular kitchen, or do you get like an industrial?

- I have a commercial kitchen, but it's very small.

Yeah, we're actually thinking of expansions right now currently to help out with that a little bit.

I have one six foot countertop in the whole kitchen, and that's my entire workspace that I have, and I have one commercial oven, so.

- Gotcha.

- Gotcha.

Kamryn Lindstrom.

- Yep.

- You haven't had that very long, have you?

- No, I haven't.

Just over a week.

(laughs) - You just got married.

- Yeah, last Sunday.

- Yeah.

Where'd you meet this guy?

- Well, technically, we went to school together.

He was in between my sister's classes.

And then we didn't get together until my junior year, but he was already graduated.

- You didn't like him in school?

- Well, he was a little older than me when I was in school.

- Oh, okay.

So it wasn't, yeah, you don't really talk when you're in different areas.

- Yeah, no, I didn't really know him very much in school.

- And he farms too?

- He does, yes.

- Okay, so you are farm girl back on the farm, a different farm.

- Yep, yep.

(chuckles) Yep.

- So your dad farms full-time?

- He does, yes.

- And now that you've got into a new family, which family do you help with?

- Well, my family more than his family.

He does a lot of with his family.

But, yeah, I mean, I give anybody a ride when they need a ride and I cook for everybody when I can, and I love to help with everybody and see... The differences between different families' farms are crazy.

I only knew my family's farm for the most part growing up, and then seeing another operation and how they run, it's amazing to see how they're doing the same thing, but the way they do it is vastly different.

- So you're looking at your in-laws' farm now.

Tell me all the things they do wrong.

- (laughs) That I won't reveal.

I don't think they do things wrong.

- Is the list too long?

Is that what it is?

- No, no, I think they just do things differently than I knew things were done.

But they also store all their own grain, and my dad doesn't store any of his own grain, so that was very different for me to see that.

- Yeah.

You do make field meals though?

- I do, yes.

- Tell me about that.

- Yeah, so I started doing field meals for people other than just my family about three years ago.

And so I started with a couple nights a week, I just make a meal, and I do a main dish, a side dish, a dessert, and a water bottle, and I package it all up.

And yeah, so that's what I started with.

- [Rob] Like what?

What are you making?

- I have all different kinds of things.

I try not to make the same thing.

Well, all of harvest, I really ideally wouldn't make the same thing more than once, but that kind of gets hard because it's a while.

- Well, plus if it's good, they're gonna say it again, right?

- Yes, so they request it.

So I do a lot of... I'll do, like, wraps, like chicken bacon ranch wraps, breakfast sandwiches on my homemade sourdough English muffins.

That's one of my most popular things that anybody who knows me has tried them and they love them.

I do pizza bread, Italian beef sandwiches.

- Wow.

- I try to keep sandwich or wrap items so that my family and the other operation that I cook for, they don't stop to eat dinner, so I try to make it something that they can eat while they're in equipment.

- My wife had to learn that.

I mean, I remember the first year she's making this big spread and that, and then she brings out a combine and I'm like, "Yeah, it's great."

- You can't eat it.

- I've got all the plates here and I'm trying to cut stuff and this and that.

So it's just stuff that you learn, right?

- [Kamryn] Yes, yeah.

- Is it better than what you can get at Casey's?

- Yeah, I would say so, for sure.

Definitely more healthy, I would say at least.

(both laughing) - Is there something that you make that people just don't like that you're kind of surprised at?

- In the bakery or for field meals?

- Both.

Either or.

- I actually think I'm more surprised about what people do like that I wouldn't expect people to like.

But during field meals, my sister, a story about her is she's very opinionated.

So, my middle sister, she runs equipment for my dad full time, and she's always been the most opinionated, and we're very close, and we say absolutely anything to each other.

So last year, I made a meal and she didn't like it, and so the next night, she sent me a text and said, "I would rather have a ham sandwich than what you made me."

- Oh.

- And I said, "Okay."

So, I made her a ham sandwich.

And then I'm nice, so I also made her an actual meal, but I made her a ham sandwich and I put it in a box, and I got to the field and I dropped it in the field.

And so my payback to her landed in the field.

I did still give it to her, but she ate the meal that night as well.

And I don't really know that she learned her lesson not to complain, but- - I don't think so.

- She didn't really, but that's okay.

- I would've gone with a spam myself.

- Oh, yeah.

She would've hated that.

That would've been a better idea.

(both laughing) - So when you're cooking, I mean, you're baking, do you enjoy it?

- I do.

I enjoy it a lot.

Now, the cinnamon rolls, I don't enjoy making those as much anymore just because they've become more of a chore than something I enjoy making, and because I have to make such volume of them every weekend.

- Isn't that the way it goes?

The thing that everybody wants is also the thing that is hardest for you.

- Yeah, I was slightly disappointed that that's what everyone fell in love with.

I mean, I'm glad everybody loves them, but yeah, they're definitely not my favorite thing.

- You can make them taste worse.

- I could, but- - Is that why you stopped putting the frosting on there, because you don't want people to buy 'em?

- No, I want people to buy 'em.

After I go to all that work, if they don't buy 'em, then I'm really disappointed.

(laughs) - So, you're young, you're 22.

So, starting a business, there's so much to it, right?

- Yes.

- Besides the just making sure you have product, now you got to find price points.

Now you got to figure out what's gonna make people happy.

How did you learn all that?

- Really just trial and error, and I'm still learning a lot.

I've only been open for a few months, and so I'm still learning.

Oftentimes I underprice things just because I'm always concerned that people are gonna think I'm charging too much, and so the majority of this- - That's natural.

- Yeah, the majority of the time, you're probably getting a deal when you come in, but I would much rather have it that way than have some crazy high price that people aren't willing to pay.

And so that's kind of how... I'm just learning that still.

But yeah, I try to look at other people online and other bakeries around us to try and find out what they're doing and just see how their pricing goes as well.

- Do people kind of react when they see the prices?

- [Kamryn] Sometimes.

More elderly people sometimes will react a little differently to that.

- There's no one more cheap than an old farmer.

- Yeah, yeah, that is true.

- You should know this.

- Yeah, I do know that.

- I don't know your dad- - [Kamryn] And I knew that going into it.

- But I'm sure your dad is cheap.

- Well, he is a little bit... I would say I learned that more from my in-laws' side of the family.

My husband is cheap as could be.

- Frugal.

- Yeah, frugal.

We'll use frugal, yes.

My husband is very frugal.

(both laughing) - But honestly, I mean, if you're not hearing a lot of complaints, you're probably underpricing.

- Yeah, no, I don't hear a lot of complaints.

- Crank it up, double it.

- I don't double it, but sometimes I'll add some stuff.

I just had our local grain elevator that my dad hauls too, they just ordered from me yesterday, and I did have to let them know that I have raised my prices slightly since their last order.

- And they didn't care.

- No, they didn't care at all.

- Yeah, no, they didn't, yeah.

So, this is like a throwback to me.

This is like something that Meemaw would make.

Is that what you're striving for?

- That is the goal.

And I've always loved more old fashioned recipes, old fashioned things, and I think that's the best tasting items.

And they're so nostalgic to you when you taste them that it makes you want to come back and get more.

And I use a lot of my grandma's recipes and my great-grandma's recipes, and one of my great-grandma's recipes I make is oatmeal lace cookies.

- Oatmeal laced cookies?

- Yeah, so they're like a crunchy oatmeal cookie, and she was pretty much famous for them, and so anyone who knew her had these cookies.

And so I've started making them and selling them.

And one of the best compliments I can get is when people tell me that they taste just like hers.

And so they're the most nostalgic tasting to all of us.

- I will say this is the second best cinnamon roll I've ever had, against my grandma's, yeah.

- Is your grandma's better?

- I don't know how she did it, but there was, like, caramelized.

- Oh, okay.

- You know what I'm talking about?

Yeah.

- I have people who have told me that they taste like their grandma's cinnamon rolls, and so I'm glad that I've been able to achieve that.

- Yeah.

Is this something that you are hoping will turn into like a... I mean, this is what you want to do with your life?

- Yes, for sure.

This is what I've always wanted to do.

And even though I'm young, it did take me a little while to get there.

You know, I did a couple other things before I did this.

And this is ultimately what I want to do with my life.

I would love to write a cookbook maybe in the future as well and sell that, but yeah.

- Well, then people won't need you.

- Yeah, see, that's why I haven't done it yet.

I think I'm waiting until I have kids, and then when I need to slow down a little bit, I'll write the cookbook and then... (laughs) - Well, how's married life?

- It's great.

- For the one week?

- Yeah, for the one week.

- If there was any other answer than that, it would not be good.

- It'd be a problem, yeah.

No, it's great.

He's wonderful.

- Yeah.

Did the wedding go okay?

- It was the best it could have gone.

We had perfect weather and it was a beautiful day.

- Uh-huh.

Now, did you do all the baking for the wedding?

- I did not.

I chose not to.

I did not want to.

- So smart.

That's so smart.

- I had absolutely zero desire to do that, and I had a ton of people asking me if I wanted to, and I did not want to at all.

- Yeah, no, I mean, you've got enough to worry about on that day.

- Yes, yes.

- So, do you see people of your age... I mean, do you see people that are hesitant to get into actually running the entrepreneurial?

- Yeah, I would say so.

I mean, I was very nervous about it when I started, but for me, I kind of felt like if I don't do it now, when am I ever gonna do it?

You know, with the building, I had the opportunity of my family.

- I don't know, the next 50 years of your life.

- The next 50 years of my life, yes, but I felt as if I should... No time like the present, I should do it now.

I have this opportunity, so I want to take it.

And yeah, it's very nerve-wracking.

I mean, I was so concerned that I would make all this stuff and no one would show up, but everyone has continued to show up, and so I'm gonna keep making it.

- You said like the elevator dealership or whatever.

Is it just random people coming, or are you having Birkey's order a whole box, or?

- So, Birkey's hasn't ordered yet, but the grain elevator, they- - What wrong with them?

You know, if they were a deer dealership, they'd probably do it.

- I do have technicians come in who get some stuff in the morning before they go to work and whatnot.

But yeah, the grain elevator, my dad is on the board there, and so he knows the president very well.

And I actually worked there in high school as well, and so they knew me kind of beforehand.

- Were you a scale gal?

- I was, yes.

(chuckles) For one season.

And then, yeah, so they knew me ahead of time and they knew I baked stuff ahead of time.

I would take stuff in when I worked there as well.

But now they're very happy, and I've done it for their annual meeting and a couple other times just when they order, and I'm sure this fall, when they get busy, they'll be ordering some more, so.

- I saw your wedding photos.

Your husband is very fit.

- (chuckles) Relatively, yes, he is.

- He's screwed.

- He gets that a lot.

- How is he gonna not gain 500 pounds?

- He actually gets that all the time.

My dad likes to tease him about that a lot.

But yeah, he's in the military as well, so he keeps up with that all right.

- At some point, when you have a wife that does this- - Yeah, I do force him into taste testing almost everything I make.

So, yeah, there's pans and pans of stuff at home currently that when he gets home today, he has to taste, so.

(laughs) And I need a full detailed review of it.

(laughs) - Okay, tell people where they can find your business.

- Yeah, so on social media, I'm the Farmer's Daughter Bread Co, and then my bakery is in Henry, Illinois.

Our address is 1372 Western Avenue, right across from Birkey's and by the back entrance of the fairgrounds, so.

- Okay.

Well, Birkey's better get on it.

- Right?

Yeah.

- That's what I'm just saying.

All right.

Kamryn Lindstrom from Chillicothe.

Hey, thank you for bringing all this stuff.

- Yeah, thank you.

- Delicious.

And I'm not eating that 'cause I'm full from that.

- Yeah, they're pretty filling.

- Yes, absolutely delicious.

Yeah, if I'm driving by Henry, I'm definitely stopping and getting some.

Congratulations on starting a company and being successful at such a young age.

- Thank you.

- Congratulations on your wedding.

You are a great example of what young people can do, and I'm so thrilled that you were able to come on this show.

- Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

- So Kamryn, thank you so very much.

Everybody else, we'll catch you next time.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to explore more of our local content.

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We can't wait to see you next time on "A Shot of Ag."

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