MIWLAUKIE, OR (KPTV) -
Dave's Killer Bread, the beloved Oregon-based bakery specializing in organic bread, has struck a deal with a private equity firm in New York in hopes of selling its bread nationwide.
Dave Dahl said he sold half his company to Goode Partners in an effort to expand the brand and increase distribution.
"I just don't think something this good should be held back," Dahl said in an interview with Fox 12.
Financial terms of the deal haven't been disclosed.
Dahl, who will remain head of product development, brand development and the company's philanthropic efforts, said the quality of the bread won't be compromised. He also said the Dave's Killer Bread headquarters will be staying in the Portland area.
"We're bakers, you know," he said. "We want other people who maybe have the experience to take us to another level. We want some guidance. We want some help."
Dahl and fellow family members started selling Dave's Killer Bread at the Portland Farmers Market in 2005. There are now 16 different types of bread sold on store shelves on the West Coast, as well as eight other states.
The history of Dave's Killer Bread is perhaps just as well known as the tastiness of its bread. Methamphetamine use led Dahl to be imprisoned three times, and it wasn't until after his final sentence that he began to turn his life around in the bread business.
Dahl now employs some ex-cons at the Milwaukie-based bread business, which uses the tag line, "Just say no to bread on drugs."
Thursday was the eighth anniversary of Dahl's last release from prison and he still can't believe everything that's happened since that day.
"It blows me away that this once suicidal and messed up dude has been able to turn his life around and hopefully help other people do the same, and make some good bread," he said. "I mean, it's a trip."
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Dave Dahl
