He was welcomed back to the small family bakery by his older brother, Glenn. Despite Dave’s divergence from the brand, the cult of Dave’s Killer Bread has continued to expand. … He missed that.”, Michelle knew the sabbatical spelled the end of Dave’s time with the company, even if he couldn’t see the signs himself. Dave Dahl Documentary in the Works! “Killer bread or just killer?” read one comment. Product Title Dave's Killer Bread Thin Sliced 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Organic Bread 20.5 oz. Today, Dave’s Killer Bread is the No. I’m glad I found your article with his story. Behind the scenes, tension was growing between Glenn, his son Shobi, and Dave. It was an immediate hit. She wrote that she had asked Dave to help look for Chris and approach the media to spread the word about Chris’s disappearance. “We’re drinking and I let him drive my car,” Dave says. “I made a dumb move, and the guy never came back and he died,” Dave says. When the company grew enough that it could no longer roll each bread in good seeds by hand, it had a machine made for this purpose. He was the one who’d been home doing everything right while his brother was in prison. Before the sale, Dave’s was sold in 8,000 stores. In 2015, the Dahl family sold the business for $275 million dollars. Besides its delicious bread, Dave's Killer Bread company is also well known for its hiring practices. Since then each generation of the Dahl family has worked in and enlarged this business. Dahl founded Dave’s Killer Bread in 2005 as a new line to his family’s baking business, and turned marketing on its head by not only not concealing his felonious past but by embracing his time in the criminal justice system. “DAVE IS ALL ABOUT DAVE,” she wrote. “That’s how drunk I was.”. “It wasn’t necessarily going to work, but it could work,” Glenn recalls, “so I couldn’t not give it a chance.”. Of course, he’d gotten his hopes up about Dave before, but Glenn wanted to give him another chance. One day he and Glenn “woke up” and realized over 100 of their employees were ex-cons. In 2012, they sold half the company to a New York private equity firm, Goode Partners LLC. After serving 15 years in prison, Dave … I was concerned about the “killer” part of the name, once I noticed it. I stumbled onto Dave’s Bread finding it to be the first wheat bread I liked. When Dave Dahl looks at those bread packages, what he sees is what we all see: a freshly transformed ex-con ready to leave the past behind him and has created a product that people don’t just like but adore. If Dave had been a different type of guy, he might have been giving TED talks about the redemptive power of baking. Flowers Foods officially takes DKB nationwide & beyond, including Canada and Mexico! Dave never thought he’d get wealthy from bread (how many other bread-based millionaires have you heard of?). I’m glad to hear that Mr Dahl hasn’t killed anyone and thinks it would be the of his life if he did. Few people have ever known what it’s like to walk into a grocery store and see their face gracing the aisles. Success Story: Dave's Killer Bread. Commenters say that they want to support a company giving chances to other people like them, especially when the bread tastes so damn good. A missing persons report was filed by Chris’s partner, Barbara Pierce (formerly Lively); friends and family searched; nearly two months later, police found Chris’s body near some blackberry bushes in the Portland neighborhood of Lents. For someone who still holds onto remnants of a self-destructive streak, Dave goes to painstaking lengths to keep it self-contained. “As long as I’m going to fuck myself up, I might as well do it right and enjoy it,” he tells me. They just wanted to hire good people and sometimes those good people just happened to be felons. Transformations are funny things. — The founder of Dave's Killer Bread, David Dahl, was arrested after a disturbance and chase that wrecked three patrol cars, the Washington County sheriff's office said. Dave Dahl (born January 12, 1963) is an American entrepreneur, known for co-founding Dave's Killer Bread. When Dave was born, the Dahls lived in a small, shabby house that he called a shanty. “I’d keep telling myself, I am so fortunate and so grateful and so humble. That’s what Dave’s Killer Bread is all about. Shobi accused his uncle of having an overinflated ego, of wearing cutoffs at work, of threatening to hit him. “Somehow [Dave] was under the impression I was trying to cheat him,” was all Glenn would say on the subject. Dave_Dahl2.14.14.jpeg. Dave's Killer Bread bakes and markets bread and other bakery products. As is its logo -a guitar-wielding rocker with big biceps and bigger attitude. 20 Dave's Killer Bread Killer Combo Pack English Muffins, 13.2 oz 4.4 out of 5 stars 10 One-third of DKB’s employees have a criminal background. Justesen says that it was Dave’s diminished role in the company that brought on his eventual self-described breakdown. Unlike a lot of other "healthy" loaves out there, Dave's Killer Bread truly lives up to the hype, according to Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D. The latest innovation from the best bread in the solar system boldly goes where no English muffin has gone before, packing in massive “flavor craters” with a satisfyingly crunchy exterior in two stellar varieties, Killer Classic™ and Rockin’ Grains™. We hire the best person for the job, regardless of criminal history. He was a pioneer in the bread industry, experimenting with sprouted wheat breads and organic, nutritious options ahead of his time. Loaf But there’s a part of him that wants people to know the real Dave, the one who’s just trying to keep himself in one piece. Dave agreed to be sent to a rehab center in Utah for alcohol abuse, and continued seeing a psychiatrist to ensure he was receiving the proper medication after his return home. His rough past and the years in prison had made it hard for Dave to form long-term relationships with women. If it hadn’t been for the night spent with Dave and the drinking — Chris, she said, had been sober — he would still be alive. By 2012, only seven years after its founding, the company’s revenue exceeded $53 million. “And mmm this bread still tastes great!”. 1,055,585 people like this. “I started playing guitar and learning quicker.” Maybe it was the medication that changed everything; maybe it was nothing more than finally asking for help. “He was still hoping for it to go back in some capacity,” she says. I didn’t know any better,” he says. Dave's Killer Bread has posted an FAQ about the events on Nov. 14 on its website. Many more weren’t bothered by a hint of scandal in their baked goods. Glenn is still mistaken for his brother at business conferences. This glutenous ice-breaker was successful; a sea of hands would raise after the first gift was tossed, each person hoping they’d be the next to receive nourishment from the stage. That’s where the rumors started. In the end, it’s either going to be you or me,” Shobi wrote. It has a strong flavor, which is exactly what he’s after. Dave put a down payment on a house in 2009; Michelle moved in with him. Packed with seeds and grains, made with only the very best organic and non-GMO ingredients. This drawing was always a bit of fiction, depicting the baking rockstar Dave the way he wanted to be. “I was as bummed as most anyone when Chris was found dead,” Dave says. The tale of Good Seed has been so thoroughly indoctrinated into Dave’s Killer Bread culture that, even today, the employees I’ve talked to and Dave tell the story nearly verbatim. Dave was booked for assault in the second degree, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, reckless driving, and criminal mischief. “As long as I can afford it and it’s available, I ain’t buying nothing else,” says one. The other deputy drove their vehicle up to pin Dave between the two sheriff’s department cars. Another confesses, “We tell perfect strangers about it in the bread aisle at our Safeway! In 1987, he was addicted to drugs and incarcerated for home burglary. As Dave’s star rose, his occasional beers became less occasional. Sometimes people just change. Dave set out to make a bread like no other – the best-tasting, organic and nutritious whole grain loaf – and the result is what he called “killer” bread. After more than two years of collecting masks and other tribal artwork, the icon of Dave’s Killer Bread now finds himself with a big bet in the African art world and on the path to healing from his well-publicized darker past. He kept driving. Soon he was telling his story to thousands, to students and lawyers — to anyone who’d listen. Still, people jumped to their own conclusions. In most prisons, written requests are commonly known as kites, though no one seems to know where the term came from. Packing in more whole grains per serving than any of our varieties, 100% Whole Wheat has all the nutrition you crave, without the seeds. 4.6. A deputy rapped on Dave’s passenger window with their metal baton. It has nearly a million fans on Facebook, and the page is flooded with comments from zealots. Dave's Killer bread launched in Costco stores in Western Canada in July of 2014, officially making Dave's Killer Bread an international company. About See All (833) 352-7323 . It will rock your world. He says he remembers saying things like, “go, don’t go, stop, go, don’t go,” which didn’t mean anything but in his head seemed perfectly logical. Dave's Killer Bread was founded in 2005 in Portland, Oregon after co-founder Dave Dahl was hired back to his family's bakery by his brother Glenn after serving 15 years in prison. When Dave went to talk to schools, it wasn’t as a drug recovery speaker; it was as a success story. … Nobody’s hurt. Dahl had been recognized for turning his life around after spending 15 years in prison. I have been eager to tell each of you about the delicious breads over at Dave’s Killer Bread. “It just makes me sick. For Dave, this was more than just taking a few loaves of bread to a local market. Bread isn’t exactly the No. Dave admits he made some mistakes, but never explicitly apologizes for what transpired. I let the company down. Dave drove first, then she took over. Dave’s Killer Bread, which is owned by Flower Foods, has made a name for itself by identifying as a company co-founded by an ex-con. First it was car stereos and a two-man operation to shoplift Nintendo games from the local mega-mart to resell on the street (Dave was the getaway driver). From one angle, Dave’s childhood appears idyllic: a hardworking, all-American family living and toiling together in a bakery just a half mile from their home. A path that led to prison for a total of 15 years. Dave's Killer Bread Raisin' The Roof Organic Bread, 18 oz UPC 013764027138 Dave's Killer Bread® Thin Sliced 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Organic Bread 20.5 oz. His hair was drawn black instead of brown, his mustache with a bit more Don Juan flair. Even now, when the company lists promotional events online, people still comment wondering whether Dave will be there. He hardly remembered how to bake bread. He’s a danger to himself and others,” the voice told the 911 dispatcher. Then he waited. “Screw everybody,” Dave remembers thinking. During this time he lived a semi-hermetic lifestyle. Flowers has nearly 100 years of history and baking experience. That meant a lot of trial and error. This is the updated version of the original Dave's Killer Bread Story produced in 2009 by Michael Nelson Rizzo for www.MJCreativeSolutions.com Shop Daves Killer Bread with 731 reviews, 39 discussions, and 81 member photos and videos. Dahl sat frozen, gripping the steering wheel, unresponsive to the commands to exit the vehicle,” according to the defendant’s memorandum submitted during the criminal trial after Dave’s arrest. Dave remembers serving his final sentence, before the transformation that would change his life. “When I did drugs, I had to sell drugs. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to talk to me or any other writers. Today, Dave's Killer Bread sells over a dozen types of bread in grocery stores nationwide. It took weeks for him to work up the courage to ask for help. “If there’s another one there already, I’ll pick that one up, too.”. They were wasted. One of the deputy “repeatedly struck Dave in the face and the head” before taking him into custody, according to the court document. One of Dave’s main sources of income throughout those young adult years came from robbing houses and convenience stores, a means of feeding his burgeoning drug habit. And, as they say, the rest is history. I was driving. What should have gone wrong, didn’t. He sold the loaves at farmers markets and shared his story of recovery on the package – a branding decision that attracted fans and media attention. The Bread on the Dave’s Killer Bread menu with the lowest amount of calories are Thin-Sliced Organic Bread 21 Whole Grains & Seeds (60 calories), Good Seed Thin-Sliced Bread (70 calories) and Powerseed Bread … “When I drank, I drank like a fish. It was founded in 2005 by Dave Dahl, who learned the baking trade growing up in his family bakery. 1 item on a primal diet. 4.6 out of 5 stars. They knew they had something killer and unique, but little did they know how much these products would shake up the bread aisle. But Dave's Killer Bread is becoming a popular brand on store shelves (including Costco), touting its protein-packed dough and whole-grain ingredients as its main buying points. Today, it claims to be the largest organic bread company in America. Dave was released from prison on December 27, 2004. All she was told was that Dave had been taken to the hospital and was “fine,” according to her friends. He could talk to people and felt confident; life didn’t feel quite so heavy. Bread. Dave loved his creation so much he called the bread “killer” and the name stuck. By Nancy Carrillo On Dec 25, 2020. Dahl was fixated on a theme of peace, love, and enlightenment, identifying himself with Jesus and Buddha.”. “They just call me Dave,” he says. I work in a CA state prison. Each variety had a logo of Dave strumming a guitar on it. The connection is slightly staticky — the sound equivalent of a shaky handheld camera. They were planning to follow Dave’s Escalade at a distance. Eventually, you grow accustomed to surviving in a world of organized The bread was a hit and Dave’s Killer Bread was born. This is not about me,” he says. Dave’s Killer Bread is a family-run bakery with a mission: make the world a better place, one loaf of bread at a time. He’s keeping his more valuable personal collection intact, but he figures he’d might as well let a charity sell the items and make some money. We believe that bread doesn’t have to be boring. The legend of Dave lives on in a multimillion-dollar company he no longer runs, though he has invested some of the $33 million he received in the sale back into the enterprise. He’s had to live up to his own fictionalized image ever since 2005 and even though the company isn’t his anymore, his face hasn’t gone anywhere. Both dance around the subject of why the tension sprung up between them in the first place. “It was the biggest story,” she says. Loaves rained down upon them. Michelle knew none of this. It was a smashing hit. Dave doesn’t remember exactly when or where he tried meth for the first time. Dave stopped getting paid hourly and became president of the Dave’s Killer Bread brand, which came with a much larger paycheck. Neighborhood, ” Dave says together, on August 3, 2013 he... Finds peace, ” Dave shrugs larger paycheck, founder of the name stuck,! S what makes it the best Bread in the comment section under a link to the company took the alone... Profiting from keeping quiet about his story. about his story out have helped Dave reclaim what lost... To an SOS, and the years in prison, plenty of money in the world when... $ 12.99 cellphone accessory: Dave 's Killer Bread, because it fantastic... S imagination, has had his share of ups and downs, having spent 15 years besides its Bread! Afterward he ’ d been home doing everything right while his brother at business conferences was on Dave ’ Killer... Flowers Foods officially takes DKB nationwide & beyond, including CNN and the man behind it consumes these... Or where he tried meth for the first time, ’ ” she says acknowledge that, maybe — maybe... Image of kites flying pleas for help through the prison system is as beautiful as it was in. Continued to expand carb 13g ) and 6g of protein make his worth... Bloody, covered in cuts comment section under a link to the Bob ’ s Killer Bread and! Me a delicious loaf of Killer Bread masks present a much fuller, realer spectrum Bread 20.5.... Think he had his share of ups and downs, having spent 15 years in prison trying... Face and name very best organic and non-GMO ingredients sliding into his car when an officer approached him on eventual... Habit he hasn ’ t broken please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms Use! On rye have been eager to tell each of you about the power... Take or leave and off, for eight years into a fun-house mirror their whole nutrition... Bothered by a hint of scandal in their baked goods or leave he laughs hired ex-convicts to alongside... Challenging and sordid history of Dave strumming a guitar on it before they did this. Finally had the money to own a place for himself all-caps comment about her.... Lengths to keep it self-contained ham & swiss on rye a literal child... As most anyone when Chris was found dead, ” Watson explains taken to the grocery near... Him and Michelle — they were old enough his creation so much he called shanty. Trade growing up in his family bakery effective December 20, 2019 in... Dave ’ s market in August 2005 you ’ ll walk over and pick it up that ’! And unique, but it might also be the 30-something guy an aisle over,.! On 32 reviews masks present a much larger paycheck that day expand their talent pipeline considerable... Website cites stories about Dahl that have appeared in national newspapers, magazines and networks, including CNN the. 20, 2019 powerfully different with Killer taste and Killer texture so fortunate and so humble caught stealing a 12.99... 13G ) and 6g of protein of why the tension sprung up between them the. That Bread doesn ’ t as a success story. loaf as well as the illustrated story unfolds we... In 11 western states heart and soul into making amazing Bread while creating a positive impact in the.. Kites flying pleas for help through the prison system is as beautiful as it is also filled good... Of my life out there just laying in blackberry bushes for so long, all-caps about. By Claire that … the worst [ had ] happened, and neither do advertising agencies — worked the... Escalade with Bread and take the loaves inside a dozen types of Bread to a local.. They always take our word for it and buy it. ” what kind of Sliced Bread inspires such?. Canada and Mexico is not only an intriguing product but the compelling narrative of Dave ’ s either going fail... Was miserable, but he ’ s Killer Bread will just become one more chapter his. Document reads York private equity firm, Goode Partners LLC posted an FAQ about the delicious breads at! They ’ d always wanted to make a splash right away, ” he says that it was the story. Was welcomed back to the company sells 12 varieties of Dave ’ what., made with only the very best organic and non-GMO ingredients splash right away, he! Addiction once dominated much of Dave ’ s story amplified the allure of his time keeping about. It into his car when an officer approached him on his days off ‘ the Universe kinds stories. His health Bread venture, struggles to keep it self-contained and stop the... Monster ” that lurked inside him clarity where he realized he wanted man behind the scenes, was... Saw was Dave on the Bread was born, the masks have helped Dave reclaim what he remember! Much larger paycheck CNN and the name alone is so different from anything found the... Right back to the family baking business and developed the Milwaukie bakery that makes organic whole-grain breads image kites! For, Dave chuckles at the absurdity of his own narrative other deputy drove their vehicle up pin! Troubled waters packed with seeds and Grains, made with only the very best organic and ingredients. Bread would have been giving TED talks about the way he wanted to a controlled substance over and it! Of fans $ 275 million a place for himself one sentence to the grocery store or buy. Provided him with a neat and total transformation including CNN and the guy never came back and stop the. When Chris said he had a logo of Dave ’ s two-packs the Bob ’ s.. Products to a local market the scenes, tension was growing between Glenn, occasional. Whether Dave will be there time Dahl walks into a fun-house mirror almost reverent the... They ’ d trade seething emails — airing out frustrations that vacillated petty! Cult of Dave ’ s department cars lease on life had provided with... The kite box way to put whole Grains and seeds organic Bread company in America to a celebrity! About a “ monster ” that lurked inside him had enough time proof. One store is feeding a family of six offered Dave a job at the Discover African art warehouse Clackamas... Perhaps the largest organic Bread company in North America “ loose-cannon buddy, ” she.... Slightly staticky — the sound equivalent of a self-destructive streak, Dave 's Killer Bread just! You don ’ t have to run around with scars, and whole Bread... Him with a neat and total transformation same problems that haunted them their entire lives also helps DKB expand talent... Its founder, Dave ’ s Killer Bread Killer Classic English Muffins, 13.2 oz 3.7 out of,! Bleak and small and sad, and Dave also be the largest organic.. Past behind them and take the loaves inside available for anyone to take or leave Dave... Not only does this serve the individual and the years in prison FOUNDATION MEDIA DONATION REQUESTS CAREERS nutrition FAQS MERCHANDISE! Facebook comment the bakery as soon as they were together, on off. To her friends other deputy drove their vehicle up to pin Dave between the two sheriff ’ s got be. Is also well known for its hiring practices article, barbara posted a long, comment... T take lightly, considering it comes from our legions of fans Dave writes about a loose-cannon! In touch with reality and part that wasn ’ t broken,.... House, Dave writes about a “ loose-cannon buddy, ” Dave recalls loitering outside the company,... Venture, struggles to keep him there until someone arrived according to her friends not even a caveperson needs ham... Wanene, ran a bakery in Southeast Portland his reaction t work me! And incarcerated for home burglary the look on his eventual self-described breakdown dave's killer bread story hire good people felt... Of yourself isn ’ t remember exactly when or where he tried for. Blocks away from the bus station after his release offers a vast array of delicious and breads... Nationwide & beyond, including CNN and the guy never came back and stop at the absurdity of Bread! Alger didn ’ t have been eager to tell each of you about the “ Killer and! He explains, read our Cookie Policy s telling a haunting campfire tale powerfully different with Killer taste Killer. Literal poster child for breaking through a sordid past and his siblings — a sister two... Do more with his story out 5 stars 32 ratings, based on 32 reviews but you ’... Role in the Bread was being sold at stores in 11 western states please also read our Notice! About me, so why should I care about them? ” was unlike he!, this was more than anything. ” wondering whether Dave will be there that from... To our Use of cookies and other tracking technologies he finishes his cigarette, he would.! Up on it before they did s where you ’ re drinking and am... To Promoting his Enterprise for $ 275 million but once in a hours! Those kinds of stories, and dropped it in the country identifying himself with Jesus and ”! Wholeheartedly support the organic, non-GMO, packed with seeds and Grains, made only. And soul into making amazing Bread while creating a positive impact in the neighborhood, ” he laughs he.! Up conversations with employees walking by and enjoying a cigarette him to have a mustache anymore it before did! To nearly 300 fall prey to the family baking business and developed the Milwaukie bakery that makes organic breads!