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ARTICLE
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
As we are at the beginning of a new year and the 34th year of business for The Bread Beckers, I thought I would go back in time to the days of our humble beginnings and my journey with real bread and the path God brought me to that would forever change my life and health.
Many years ago, after graduation from High School, I set off to the University of GA as a premed student. I loved studying the human body and everything about the way it worked. I had a passion to help people get well and, in my mind, I wanted to “save the world”.
In just my first year in college, I realized however, that I really did not want to be in school as long as it would take me to become a doctor, nor did I want that grueling of a career after college.
After changing my major, I finally landed in Food Science, an up-and-coming industry at the time. After graduation I worked nearly 5 years as a bacteriologist for Kraft Foods.
Through all these twists and turns, my passion for studying the human body, and the way it works never waned. I loved a good biochemistry book and studying the scientific works of those in the medical and healthcare field.
My basic philosophy was if something wasn’t working in my body, then I must not be getting the nutrients I needed for that particular issue. I admit, perhaps that might be a bit over simplified, but I am still convinced it is a very good starting point.
I believed then, and now, in healthy eating, and simply eating real food. I quit my job with the birth of my first child and became more committed than ever to a healthy lifestyle.
My husband, Brad, and I had a huge garden. I prepared most of our food from scratch. Mealtime for me was real meat, real homegrown vegetables, real butter, real fruit and even homemade bread.
Through my years of studying and reading, I would read of the demise of white flour and that whole wheat flour was healthier but I never really understood what made it healthier. Nevertheless, I tried my hand at baking our bread with the store-bought whole-wheat flour instead of white flour, but everything I baked with it always seemed dry, coarse and pretty heavy unless I mixed it with some white flour.
I finally just gave up on bread making with 100% whole wheat flour. I would still make from scratch our muffins, pancakes, pizza dough and dinner rolls adding a bit of whole wheat to the white flour I was using.
But other than our bread, our diet was pretty well built on real food. Much of it from our own garden. And for the most part, our family was fairly healthy. Our kids, however, still had their fair share of colds, ear infections and seemed to catch whatever bug was going around. And I personally had the common complaints of most Americans - constipation, chronic sinus congestion, frequent headaches, even migraines occasionally, and just simply tired all the time.
I would often blame my low energy on the 5 children I now had, and being a nursing mother and homeschooling mom.
But in 1991, my world changed forever and I learned that my physical life didn’t have to look or feel like this. Through a publication that is no longer in print, I was introduced to a healthy eating concept that radically changed my life and the health of our family.
Through the information presented I learned that:
Whole grains are the most nutrient dense food group God has given us. They provide nearly all of the vital nutrients and fiber needed to sustain life and promote good health. But only when whole grains are freshly milled do they retain ALL of these life-giving nutrients
Prior to the 1900s most of the bread consumed in this country was made at home – homes either had hand mils to mill their own flour or communities were established and built up around the local miller where they could buy their flour freshly milled.
Real whole grain flour spoils and to prevent spoilage mills were invented to remove the bran and germ portions of the grain, as well as the oils, and with this removal most of the nutrients are lost.
This commercially milled flour was then enriched due to the loss of nutrients but this enrichment was not a favor the food companies were doing for its consumers but a replacement of a mere fraction of the nutrients lost by removing the bran, germ and oils.
Most of the common health complaints in America are directly related to the consumption of commercially processed flour products.
The publication presented a brief history of the flour milling industry and then a short discussion of the common diseases that plague most Americans and how each are related to our consumption of this nutrient and fiber deficient commercially processed flour and bread products.
I was convinced more than ever, from this information that whole grain flour was the way to go. And surprised that with my background in food science and all my studies, I had not put all these pieces of the puzzle together before.
But this time I was not only presented with facts about whole grain flour but also introduced to the idea and concept of milling my flour at home with a small in-home electric flour mill. This was definitely the missing piece of the puzzle. My enthusiasm, led my husband Brad to buy for me my first grain mill for my birthday in February of 1991 – 35 years ago!!!!!
From the first day it arrived, I began making all of my own flour at home for all of our bread, muffins, pancakes biscuits, cakes, and cookies – anything made from flour for my young family of 5 children. And I was convinced that white flour would never be a part of my bread making again.
For me, in the first day alone, after consuming the most delicious bread I had ever made with 100% freshly milled flour, I noticed a few significant health benefits.
In the first 24 hours, my life long struggle with constipation was ended, never to return. Within a few days, I noticed increased energy and I no longer needed or even wanted a nap just to function.
By the end of the first month, my frequent headaches were gone, chronic sinus congestion, gone, and my daily dependence on antihistamines just to breath freely at night, gone! And again, none of these chronic issues have returned in all these 35 years of real bread. I’ve not had an antihistamine of any kind – even if I do get a cold – since 1991. That is a truly remarkable testimony since so many people, even children, need them regularly if not daily.
My children’s frequent colds and other sicknesses became almost non-existent. And in the 25 years of raising now 9 children, only 2 doctor visits were needed for an illness. If they did occasionally get sick, they recovered quickly on their own. The way God intended.
I could hardly believe the vast difference this one change in our already healthy diet seemed to make in the health of our family. And for me, I needed to know how and why.
Thus began my journey of in-depth study of the vast nutrients supplied by whole grains and freshly milled flour and the role they play in meeting the physical needs of our bodies. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on.
And I must say it has been quite the journey. Whole grains are indeed one of the most nutrient dense food groups God has given us. Coupled with fruits and vegetables and some good sunshine, its pretty much life sustaining.
In my excitement from what I was learning I began to share my bread with others. The next thing I know, they were calling me, wanting more bread. They shared with me how they too had more energy, were no longer constipated or just simply felt better since eating this real bread. But the one testimony that really sent me on a discovery mission was one from a phone call I received early one morning.
Her first words were simply, “It’s the bread, it’s got to be the bread”. She then went on to share how her blood cholesterol levels had dropped 85 points in the one month since she had started eating the bread I was making for her. Every day and at every meal. She was convinced it was the bread as she had made no other dietary changes at the time. She also went on to say that she had been on multiple prescribed medications by multiple doctors to try to lower her cholesterol levels, to no avail.
Hers was a testimony I had not studied. So it fueled my passion to study even more. What was in this bread that would lower someone’s cholesterol so drastically in such a short time?
Through my research, I learned that cholesterol is an important nutritional component for every cell in our body as well as a precursor of our sex and steroid hormones which are absolutely critical to most of our vital bodily functions. But without the nutrients to break it down, to get it out of our blood stream and into our cells, where it can do its job, it virtually gets stuck in our blood vessels – making high blood cholesterol levels a marker for significant health issues.
More importantly I learned, that every nutrient to break down cholesterol and get it out of our blood and to our cells to be used is found in whole grains and particularly wheat. Inositol, choline, vitamin B6 and most importantly a phospholipid known as lecithin – are all found abundantly in the bran and germ portions of whole grains and therefore in freshly milled wheat flour.
From these testimonies, word soon spread about the amazing health benefits of real bread made from freshly milled flour. Not to mention that the bread I was making was absolutely delicious. The next thing I know, I was making and selling bread out of my home and tiny kitchen. But with the birth of my 6th child, I was quickly becoming overwhelmed.
A few people began to ask about getting a grain mill for themselves and would I teach them how to make bread. These requests sparked an idea in my mind.
One day, in the fall of 1992, after a long day of making bread for others, making bread for my family, homeschooling the children and taking care of my own family’s needs, I realized that making bread for others was not the best plan. I was tired and overwhelmed. I know that God put this idea and these words into my heart and mind that would change our life forever.
In the fall of 1992, as my husband, Brad, arrived home from work, I met him in the driveway to present to him my idea. I said “I do not think I am supposed to make bread for the world but I am to teach the world to make bread for themselves”
Bread Beckers was “born” that day in 1992, on the driveway of our small home where we have raised 9 children together.
Our business grew from the testimonies of others and my simple teachings. By 1998, the business outgrew our home and family so we incorporated with a long-time friend and partner. And moved into our current location in Woodstock GA in 1999.
Today we occupy about 23,000 sq ft of space between 2 buildings. We have a 10,000 sq ft retail space with a studio classroom where we offer in person and online classes. We are now a large grain packaging facility servicing more than 120 co-ops throughout the country.
And now it is 2026 – my passion to teach others how to make bread from freshly milled flour and the amazing health benefits of whole grains has never waned. In fact, I may be more passionate today than when I first started this journey 35 years ago. But my message has not changed over the years. It remains the same.
God intended Bread to be the staff of life. Jesus compared himself to bread for a reason – because real bread made from freshly milled whole grains is life giving and life sustaining. It is too good not to share with others.
Over these past 34 years in business, we have seen countless lives changed for the better. It is absolutely exciting for me to hear so many testimonies of improved health and healing. And I continue to look for answers to discover why this one food, “real bread” is so life changing.
In all my years of study and research, I have never seen or heard of one dietary change bringing such immediate and noticeable health benefits.
A few years ago, I asked God to give me a word that fit my presentation about bread. He actually gave me 2 words.
Hope and Encouragement.
As more and more people today face significant health challenges, with no real improvement, no matter what they try, they often lose hope and become discouraged.
It is my determination and goal as I share the truth about wheat, whole grains and real bread made freshly milled flour, that you will find hope and become encouraged that God has heard your prayers and provided you with a nearly perfect food.
Real Bread.
It is our great joy and privilege to serve each and every person that comes our way and to have seen so many lives changed for the better. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.
May 2026 be the best year ever.
Sue Becker
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