Sara Kafadar has been elevated to president and chief commercial officer at izzio artisan bakery, formalizing a co-leadership structure alongside founder and CEO Etai Baron as the Colorado-based sourdough producer reports retail sales growth exceeding 40% for the second consecutive year.
The Numbers
Retail velocity has been the headline metric at izzio: the bakery has posted back-to-back years of 40%-plus retail sales gains and now counts distribution across more than 15,000 retail locations. The company has also expanded production capacity with the opening of a second bakery in Thornton, Colo., earlier this year — a capital move designed to keep supply in step with accelerating demand. Izzio landed on Bain & Company's Insurgent Brands list in both 2025 and 2026, a designation tracking outperforming independent brands reshaping FMCG categories.
Kafadar's Expanded Mandate
Kafadar joined izzio as CCO in 2015, bringing prior leadership experience across IAWS Foods and ARYZTA businesses including Delice de France, Cuisine de France, and La Brea Bakery. In her expanded role, she retains oversight of sales, marketing, R&D, and brand development while picking up added accountability for strategic revenue generation and operational efficiency. Baron, who co-founded izzio and has served as CEO since 2014, will continue guiding overall company direction and institutional strategy. "Sara has been an integral partner in building izzio into the business it is today, helping consumers rethink what they expect from their food," Baron said.
Channel & Innovation Outlook
Beyond retail, izzio is building foodservice momentum and has opened a direct-to-consumer subscription program shipping across the contiguous U.S. — a channel play that diversifies revenue and reduces dependence on any single retail partner. On the product side, the company this month is launching three SKUs: a limited-edition Cranberry Orange Sourdough Batard, a Super Sour Sourdough, and a French Sourdough sliced loaf. All three extend the in-store bakery assortment that has been central to izzio's retail positioning. Looking further ahead, management has signaled plans to bring sourdough fermentation into categories beyond bread — a category-extension strategy that could open new foodservice and retail adjacencies without abandoning the slow-fermentation, clean-ingredient platform that underpins the brand.
For foodservice operators and retail bakery buyers, izzio's trajectory illustrates how artisan-positioned brands can scale through dual retail and foodservice distribution when production infrastructure keeps pace. The broader specialty bread segment has benefited from sustained consumer interest in digestibility, clean labels, and fermented foods — tailwinds that show little sign of reversing as operators continue to premiumize bread programs across fast-casual and full-service dayparts.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
