What began as a hobby has blossomed into a business for Maria Teixeira, who started baking sourdough three years ago. Her first loaves were awful, she admits, but with time and persistence, she perfected her craft. As she shared her bread with friends, demand quickly grew—not only for more loaves but also for lessons. Last September, Teixeira left her career in marketing to pursue her sourdough business, The Isla Collective, full-time.
Today, she operates the micro-bakery from her West Palm Beach home, crafting sourdough loaves, cookies, cinnamon rolls, granola, and other seasonal treats (apple butter is a fall favorite, she reports). Customers can pick up orders weekly from her home, and she regularly appears at local markets and pop-ups with businesses such as Driftwood Coffee and Jelly Bean Coffee. She also leads hands-on classes, guiding aspiring bakers through the art of making sourdough.
“I love how slow and intentional it is,” Teixeira says of the process. “I have never done something before where my brain just completely turns off, and I am able to focus on what I’m doing. I’m giving my all to this one piece of bread.”
For those hoping to embark on their own sourdough journey, Teixeira’s advice is simple: be patient and have fun. “If you want to start learning patience, making sourdough is a great start,” she says. “Don’t be too serious about it. Sourdough works differently in everyone’s homes, so you have to experiment. The fun is in the experimenting.”
