A Warm, Friendly Deep Dive Into What Our Tags Actually Mean
When you browse the Micro Bakery Directory, you’ll see lots of tags — and these tags are what help bread lovers find exactly what they’re looking for.
This blog post is a simple, friendly deep dive into what every tag actually means so you can use the directory with confidence.
If you’re a baker, these tags help you showcase what you offer.
If you’re a bread lover, these tags help you discover exactly what you want — whether it’s sourdough, gluten-free goods, porch pickup, pastries, or anything else you can imagine.
Because here’s the fun part:
Our tags aren’t just labels — they’re tiny windows into each baker’s personality, style, and offerings.
So let’s break them down and explore what they all mean.
👉 To see the full list of filters/tags inside the directory, click here: here
Below is a deep dive into every tag we currently offer — what it means, who uses it, and how it helps you make the most of the Directory.
Catering
This tag highlights bakers who provide breads and baked goods for events, parties, and group celebrations — from wedding bread tables and brunch boards to office events and holiday gatherings.
Customers:
Use this tag when you need breads or pastries for a group rather than just a single household.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you offer event-friendly menus, trays, assortments, or larger quantity orders that require coordination and planning.
✨ For gatherings big and small.
If you’re planning an event and unsure what types of bread or baked goods work best for groups, our Beginner’s Bread Guide can help you choose the right options.
Classes
Some bakers don’t just bake — they teach. This tag highlights bakers who share their skills through hands-on workshops, sourdough bootcamps, cookie-decorating classes, pastry lessons, kids baking days, private home lessons, or even virtual Zoom workshops.
Customers:
Use this tag to find everything from beginner sourdough classes to advanced croissant workshops. Great for date nights, friend gatherings, homeschool groups, or personal skill-building.
Bakers:
Use this tag if teaching is ANY part of your business — whether it’s your main focus or something you offer seasonally, monthly, or during holidays.
✨ Your baking journey starts here…
Custom Orders
This tag is for bakers who love creating one-of-a-kind, made-for-YOU items. Think:
– Birthday cakes
– Wedding cakes
– Gender reveal treats
– Holiday-themed boxes
– Custom sourdough flavors
– Personalized pastries
– Event platters
– Specialty shapes & designs
These bakers love a challenge and enjoy bringing customer ideas to life.
Customers:
Perfect when you need something special — not just something off a weekly menu.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you accept special requests beyond your usual offerings.
✨ Made just for you…
If you want to add your own bakery’s profile, click here.
Delivery
Some bakers load up the car and bring fresh-baked goods straight to your door. This tag highlights bakers who offer:
– Neighborhood drop-offs
– Weekly or monthly delivery routes
– Holiday delivery
– Special-occasion delivery (birthdays, gifting, office events)
– Next-day doorstep deliveries
Customers:
Ideal if you’re busy, home with kids, have mobility limitations, or simply love the luxury of warm bread arriving at your doorstep.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you deliver within a radius or offer dedicated delivery days.
✨ Fresh from their oven to your door…
Farm Stand
A Farm Stand is a mini bakery shopping experience — charming, cozy, and full of personality. These setups might include:
– A custom-built wooden stand or shed
– A vintage hutch or cupboard
– A decorated curio cabinet
– A porch market shelf
– A seasonal outdoor display
Farm stands often include multiple items available for browsing: sourdough loaves, pastries, cookies, seasonal goods, jams, herbs, or produce.
Customers:
This is where you shop — not just pick up. It’s a sweet neighborhood moment.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you offer a display with multiple items available at once (not just pre-labeled bags for pre-orders).
✨ A sweet stop in your neighborhood…
Filtered Air
Air filtration does not sterilize or remove the wild nature of sourdough. Instead, it helps reduce airborne pollutants, smoke particles, dust, and contaminants that can interfere with fermentation or settle on dough during long, open-air proofing periods.
This tag may be especially meaningful in areas where air quality fluctuates seasonally, or for customers who value extra environmental awareness in how their food is prepared. Bakers who use this tag are signaling an intentional approach to their workspace — one that prioritizes consistency, cleanliness, and mindful fermentation.
Filtered Air is an optional, transparency-focused tag. It does not imply superiority or necessity — only an additional choice some bakers make as part of their craft.
Fresh Milled/ Home Milled
Some bakers mill whole grains at home using stone mills or electric mills for unmatched freshness, flavor, and nutrition. Milling flour right before baking preserves the oils, nutrients, and aromatic qualities of the grain — something store-bought flour just can’t compete with.
Customers:
Use this tag if you care about nutrient density, heritage flavors, or old-world baking methods.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you freshly mill any portion of your flour.
✨ Flour with life still inside it.
Gluten-Free
This tag highlights bakers who specialize in gluten-free offerings, whether full menus or select items. This may include:
– GF sourdough
– GF pastries
– GF cookies
– GF brownies
– GF cakes
– GF mixes or kits
Customers:
Check baker profiles for notes on shared vs. dedicated GF spaces.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you offer gluten-free items regularly or occasionally.
✨ Delicious… for everyone.
Heritage Grain
This tag celebrates bakers who work with ancient, heirloom, or stone-milled grains, such as:
– Einkorn
– Spelt
– Kamut
– Red Fife
– Rye
– Local heritage blends
These grains bring deeper flavor, better nutrition, and old-world soul to each loaf.
Customers:
Great for people who appreciate unique flavor, history, and digestibility.
Bakers:
Use this tag if heritage grains are part of your process or identity.
✨ Grains from the past, bread for today.
Kosher
This tag highlights bakers whose ingredients, preparation methods, and kitchens follow kosher guidelines. For many families and communities, kosher food is about both dietary observance and cultural meaning — especially around holidays, celebrations, and gifting.
Customers:
Use this tag if kosher standards are important in your home.
Bakers:
Use this tag only if your offerings meet kosher requirements.
✨ Baked with care and tradition.
Markets
Many micro bakers take their goods on the road and sell at community markets such as:
– Farmers markets
– Seasonal craft fairs
– Street markets
– Holiday events
– Pop-ups
– Local vendor markets
Customers:
Use this tag to discover bakers you can visit in person.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you attend any recurring markets throughout the year.
✨ Find fresh bread out in the wild.
Naturally Leavened (Non-Sourdough)
Not all naturally leavened bread is sourdough. Some bakers work with wild ferments like fruit yeast waters, raisin starters, or other natural cultures that do not rely on traditional sourdough bacteria.
These breads are wild, naturally fermented, and often milder in flavor than sourdough — expanding the world of fermentation beyond the expected.
Customers:
Use this tag if you love fermentation but want something new.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you bake with wild leavening that is not sourdough.
✨ Wild fermentation, different flavor.
Organic
This tag is for bakers who prioritize organic ingredients, including:
– Organic flours
– Organic butters
– Organic milk
– Organic spices & mix-ins
– Organic produce
Customers:
Perfect for those wanting high-quality, clean ingredients.
Bakers:
Use this tag if organic sourcing is an important part of your baking.
✨ Pure ingredients, pure love.
Pastries
This covers ALL the flaky, sweet, buttery, delicious things, including:
– Croissants
– Danishes
– Cinnamon rolls
– Muffins
– Cookies
– Brownies
– Tarts
– Brioche items
– Seasonal pastries
Customers:
Use this tag to find bakers specializing in dessert-style offerings.
Bakers:
Use this tag if pastries appear regularly or seasonally on your menu.
✨ A little joy in every bite.
Porch Pick-Up
Simple. Clean. Convenient.
Porch Pickup is a labeled, organized grab-and-go system. Pre-ordered items are waiting for you — no lines, no pressure, no schedule conflicts.
Customers:
Ideal for busy homes, early mornings, or on-the-way-home stops.
Bakers:
Use this tag if your bakery uses porch tables, shelves, or baskets for labeled pre-orders.
✨ Grab & go goodness.
Shipping
These bakers ship their goodies regionally or nationwide.
Perfect for:
– Gifting
– Trying bakeries from other states
– Sending treats to loved ones
– Getting hard-to-find bakery items delivered anywhere
Customers:
Your favorite baker may live far away… but you can still enjoy their creations.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you ship anything — cookies, rolls, bread, pastries, dehydrated goods.
Always check local cottage regulations before shipping across state lines.
Sourdough
This tag highlights bakers who specialize in naturally leavened bread. Popular items may include:
– Boules
– Sandwich loaves
– Focaccia
– Flavored loaves
– Soft sourdough rolls
– Enriched sourdough breads
– Sourdough pastries
Customers:
If sourdough is your love language, start here.
Bakers:
Use this tag if sourdough is your primary craft.
✨ Bread with a heartbeat.
Sourdough Starter
For bakers who sell starter — fresh, or dehydrated.
Customers:
Perfect for beginners wanting to start baking at home.
Bakers:
Use this tag if you sell starter kits, dehydrated packs, or sourdough baking supplies.
✨ Where it all begins…
Vegan
Bakers who create plant-based breads and pastries free of dairy, eggs, or animal products.
Customers:
Great for vegan families, allergies, or dietary choices.
Bakers:
Use this tag if any of your offerings are fully vegan.
✨ Kind ingredients, beautiful baking.
As the Micro Bakery Directory continues to grow, these tags make it easier than ever for bakers and bread lovers to find one another. Whether you’re searching for a gluten-free specialty loaf, a baker who ships nationwide, or a porch-pickup sourdough artisan in your town, these filters help you discover exactly what you need — quickly and effortlessly.
Our mission is simple: make real, small-batch baking easier to find, easier to support, and easier to fall in love with.
If you’re a baker, we encourage you to update your tags as your offerings evolve — because your community is searching for exactly what you create.
And if you’re a bread lover…
Welcome. Explore. Discover the magic happening right in your own neighborhood.
✨ Here’s to supporting small bakers, one tag at a time.
If you’re ready to explore the world of micro bakeries near you, start your search here 👉 CLICK HERE
If you’re a baker who wants to be discovered by your local community (and beyond), add your free listing here 👉 CLICK HERE
Bakers can add or update their services, including catering, anytime click here to learn more about baker’s free listings.
Thank you for being part of this growing movement — together, we’re making it easier for the world to find beautiful bread, one baker at a time.
~ heather
