After baking bread for Belmont Market for many years, Jeffrey Collins decided it was time to pursue his dream of owning a bakery.
The South County Bread Co., a bakery/café, opened May 1 on Main Street in South Kingstown. Collins and his wife, Keri Lyn, own and manage the business, which offers assorted breads, pastries and coffee.
Collins said he asked family members every day for two years if it was the right time to start his own business.
“Everyone said, ‘Look, it’s a great idea, just not now,’ ” Collins said.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Belmont closed its bakery, the Collins had a son, and Jeffrey Collins took three months of paternity leave. With customers wanting Collins’ bread, the couple opened a temporary bakery inside Kingston Pizza at the University of Rhode Island.
“We catapulted. We were so busy. In our first weekend, we had over 200 orders,” said Collins, who studied culinary art at Johnson & Wales University and learned to bake from his father and grandmother.
Over a year later, the Collins moved into their permanent location on Main Street.
The bakery sells 350 to 400 croissants and 180 loaves of bread daily, from Wednesday through Sunday.
