BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — On Oct. 23, the Alabama Retail Association awarded the owners of Stinson Breads, Matthew and Anna Claire Stinson, the 2025 Emerging Retailer of the Year “Gee” Award, which honors an up-and-coming retailer who demonstrates strong business growth and innovative retailing.
“Thank you all for having us in Opelika today,” said Alabama Retail Association president Rick Brown. “We’re here to honor Anna Claire and Matthew Stinson for their retail establishment here. They’ve won what’s called the Gee Emerging Retailer Award. Y’all were judged by independent retailers that are your peers… [The Stinsons] began in their house, making sourdough bread. And they opened [ their storefront] in 2024, and their sales grew 434% the first year. And thus far this year, they’re up 288% — those are huge numbers. What they’ve done is they partnered with 20 local restaurants here in the area, and so that has really bumped your sales up — and they’re talking about expanding.”
Matthew reflected on the growth of Stinson Breads and what the Gee Award meant to him and Anna Claire.
“Stinson Breads started really small,” he said. “It was really just a dream that Anna Claire and I had, some convictions for things that we thought were really important and a belief that if we were good stewards of what we do, then God would bless our efforts. That’s proven true, but in more ways than we could ever imagine. This award, in addition to just everything we’ve learned about who it’s named after, we’re so humbled to accept it.”
As he has watched Stinson Breads expand, Matthew said the hard work of the employees and community support has enabled the bakery to grow and reach more restaurants and customers.
“We have the greatest team in the world of people who come to work every single day, try their hardest to make the best product that they can and genuinely bring a passion for hospitality and care for the people who live in this community,” he said. “It’s by the grace of God that there is a community here that values and supports it. So really, this isn’t an award for Anna Claire and I — this is an award that really speaks to and respects all these people in here that come to work every day, and all of you who value what they do. So we’re just so humbled to be here and steward it and accept it on their behalf and your behalf. It’s truly a testament to what a wonderful place that we live in and how faithful God is.”
Anna Claire shared similar sentiments and expressed how she feels encouraged and honored by Stinson Breads receiving the Gee Award.
“We always say, ‘If the most important thing that we’re doing or the best thing that we’re doing is the bread or the croissants or whatever, then we have missed the point — we have failed,’” she said. “This award is so encouraging for us and for our team, because it’s recognizing Stinson Breads not just for the bread, but for how we’re making the bread and how we’re serving the community. It is such an honor, and thank you so much.”
The President and CEO of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, Ali Rauch, shared the nomination written by the Chamber, sent to the Alabama Retail Association, recommending Stinson Breads for the awards.
“We thought, who better than Stinson Breads to nominate for this — and so this is what [the Chamber] wrote,” she said. “Stinson Breads recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their storefront in historic downtown Opelika, but their journey began well before that. Since October 2019, founders Anna Claire and Matthew Stinson have been baking traditional, sustainable, handmade sourdough breads and pastries for the Auburn-Opelika community. Their business started with weekly bake sales and local bread drops, quickly gaining popularity through innovative practices and strong partnerships with local restaurants, coffee shops and even breweries. This grassroots approach not only built a loyal customer base but also reflected their deep connection to the community… Their dedication to craft, community and sustainable practices makes them a shining example of what retail in Alabama can and should be.”
Moving forward, Matthew said he and Anna Claire are working to expand the reach of Stinson Breads and increase bread and pastry production to partner with more restaurants and produce more products for the community.
“We’re planning on expanding into a 3,500 square foot facility here, around the corner, over on First Avenue in Opelika,” he said. “[We’re] investing in a lot of really specialized bread and pastry production equipment so that we can scale our wholesale. Right now, we’re in Auburn, Opelika and in Columbus, and we’d really like to get into Montgomery and bring some markets to those restaurants there, in those communities. But we need the production capacity to do that, and so that’s what we’re investing in. So that’ll be like a $1.52 million investment in the city, and hopefully by 2027, we’ll have added a dozen jobs to the city on top of what we already have.”
For more information, visit www.stinsonbreads.com or shop from Stinson Bread at 714 N. Railroad Ave. in Opelika.
