Not all businesses are based on legacy. But Sourdough Society in Jersey City is a story three generations in the baking. Before bakeries opened on the Greek island of Kefalonia, the grandmother of one of the owners baked sourdough bread loaves for her village. Today, Giota Kolaitis (along with her wife Sophie) is literally living her grandmother’s legacy.
Sourdough Society is housed inside Nana’s Deli, and offers bread made with four organic, natural ingredients. It’s as simple as organic bread flour, organic sea salt, homemade starter, and filtered water. “It’s hard to find all-natural bread with few ingredients at the grocery store. Our philosophy is that none of that is necessary for a wholesome life,” Sophie explains. “To make bread, you don’t need that many ingredients. We really wanted to bring back bread to how it’s intended to be made.”
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Sophie says that customers can approach each bread their own way at Sourdough Society. For instance, she prefers to take a piece of sourdough and spread it with avocado and a poached egg. Alternatively, many patrons use it to make grilled cheese. In the winter, customers use their bread bowls to house soup, dips, or just eat it on its own.
Sweet and savory options include the organic Everything Seasoning and Cheddar loaf, and the Rosemary and Garlic loaf. They also offer organic sourdough cinnamon rolls, sugar sourdough cookies, and raw take-and-bake sourdough pizza dough. Even pets can enjoy a snack, with options like sourdough dog biscuits available.
Of course, their most popular item is the classic sourdough loaf. “It’s tried and true and healthy. That’s a big selling point,” says Sophie. Sourdough Society bread lasts five to seven days, since it doesn’t have preservatives, and can then be frozen.
About Sourdough Society
Giota grew up running her family’s diners and ice cream store. She experimented baking with sourdough after looking for a break from the corporate world. Sophie, who was laid off from a corporate role, put the bread on Facebook Marketplace to see if they could make some money. Before the pair knew it, they had orders and reorders, established an LLC, built a website, and found a commercial kitchen.
As their popularity grew, a storefront was the next logical next step. Now, Sourdough Society is a passion project turned into a successful business.
Visit Sourdough Society at 210 Hudson St in Jersey City. Look for them online to learn more.
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All Photos: © Sourdough Society