Hanna Lane with her son Liam

The Woman Behind the Bread, Hanna Lane

Hanna Lane

In honor of International Women’s Day, we wanted to share a fun Q and A with Hanna Lane, the Founder. From starting in her kitchen to creating AWG, get ready to learn about this remarkable woman who wants to help people enjoy bread again. Also, she shares some of her favorite woman-owned businesses. So grab a piece of toast and your favorite drink, women rock!!

How long did it take for you to come up with the recipe?
I worked a year on this recipe! I tried so many versions with different shapes, flours, and ingredients... and failed so many times. Working with grain-free flours is very difficult.

How did you improve your health issues?
I found an amazing functional medicine practitioner that helped me through supplementation and food and lifestyle changes to support my body. Making sure I was getting proper sunlight, meditation/breath work, gratitude, and keeping stressors to a minimum (as much as possible) were huge for me!

What are some tips for going gluten and/or grain free?
Start by focusing on what you can eat and not what you can’t eat. There are so many good GF choices that are clean and delicious. When looking at gluten free food products, always check out the back label rather than just buying it because it says gluten free on the front. Ingredients are most important!

What was your first “big” moment after starting the company?
Getting into Erewhon Market was so surreal for me! Erewhon is my absolute favorite grocery store, and I would even drive to LA to go there on my birthdays. It is seriously a dream come true that they carry AWG Bread!!!!!

What advice would you give for someone who wants to start a business?
Don’t be afraid to wear all the hats and do all different types of jobs... because you will. Learn as much as you can so you know all aspects of the business works. Become an expert about making decisions and then be ok with the results. Progress not perfection. Understand that you will not do everything right, and this is just part of it. It’s a learning experience everyday with lots of ups and downs but always remember why you started. Connect with your customers because they are the reason you started the business. When I hear a customer say that our bread has changed their lives... just wow, so fulfilling!!!!  Connect with business people who can share their experiences and advice. Learn from them so that your journey can be a little easier.  And above all, always come from a place of gratitude. 

How do you balance being a mom and owning a business?
Balance... I’m not too sure that is always possible, haha! But I do my best to keep my boundaries and try to separate out spending quality time with my toddler and working. Also, I am extremely grateful that I can bring Liam to work, another perk to owning the company. When customers come in, they can enjoy seeing a true family business! 

Do you feed the bread to your child?
Liam loves AWG Bread! I make him toast all the time, and he especially loves grilled cheese. 

Do you eat your bread everyday?
YES! Multiple times a day, sometimes two….I’m obsessed!

What’s your favorite flavor of AWG Bread?
This changes for me week by week, really! I love all of the flavors but at the moment it is the Everything flavor. The subtle taste of garlic and onion is so delicious!

What’s your favorite way to eat AWG Bread?
Loading my toast up in the morning with raw butter, cheese, fried egg, avocado, microgreens, and Redmond's Sea Salt is just one of my favorite ways!

Here are some woman-owned businesses that make amazing products. Love supporting these gals!



AWG Bakery Hanna Healthy Eating