BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — The work at Sour Doe Farmstand begins days before a single loaf ever reaches the table.

By Thursday, Daniel and Kayla Howard are already deep into their baking cycle at their Rockcastle Road operation, preparing dough that will not be ready until the weekend. Fermentation takes time. So does everything else they do.

By Saturday morning, the result is a steady stream of customers — many with preorders placed days ahead — picking up bread that took nearly 48 hours to make.

It is a process built on patience and intention, and one the Howards have chosen not to rush.

“Small-batch means something to us,” Daniel Howard said. “It means every loaf, every pan, and every product is made with intention; not rushed, not mass produced. Every single loaf you buy took 48 hours to prepare.”

Returning home with a plan

Sour Doe Farmstand opened in November 2025, but its foundation goes back much further.

Both Daniel and Kayla Howard were born and raised in Martin County, part of families with deep roots in the area. They left to build careers — Daniel in telecommunications for 15 years and Kayla in veterinary leadership and the pet insurance industry — before deciding to come home.

“Moving back to Martin County, we wanted to create so much more for our county,” Daniel Howard said. “Not only do we want to work to set an example for what can be done on small properties and small spaces, but we want to give back to our community, just as this community raised us.”

Daniel Howard holds a degree in agriculture from Morehead State University and a master’s in business administration. Farming, though, was never just academic.

“Gardening and canning go back to my grandparents, who didn’t work to sell, but worked to survive,” he said. “Worked to provide for themselves and raise a family.”

That influence still shapes the farmstand today.

Starting small, building demand

In the beginning, the Howards kept things simple — a few loaves of bread each weekend and a small menu built around what they could produce consistently.

The challenge was not just making the product. It was making it right.

“The challenges we faced when starting the business were ensuring that we were receiving the best feedback from our customers,” Daniel Howard said. “We want to ensure that we have the best quality products that money can buy.”

That focus has not changed.

“Martin County residents are the hardest working individuals in the country,” he said. “We want to make sure that when they spend their hard-earned money with us, they’re getting products that keep them coming back time and time again.”

What began with a handful of loaves has grown into a weekly operation that regularly sells out.

One weekend marked a turning point.

“We had customers from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Richmond, Virginia, arrive because they had either found us on social media or through word-of-mouth from a local family,” he said. “Our reach is clear and growing.”

More than sourdough

Sourdough may be the foundation, but it is not the whole story.

The farmstand produces all baked goods in-house, from bread to bagels to specialty items, along with value-added products such as jams, syrups and honey when in season.

Their top seller is clear.

“Sourdough cinnamon rolls,” Daniel Howard said. “They bring people in, they sell out every time, and they represent exactly what we’re about — simple ingredients turned into something people genuinely love.”

The work shifts with the seasons.

From January through March, maple syrup production became “a 24/7 job,” requiring constant attention from sap collection through boiling and bottling.

Now, the focus is on planting, preparing vegetables, expanding a poultry flock for eggs and growing an apiary for honey.

“We want to apply every avenue of small-scale farming to create high-quality products,” he said.

Different kind of scale

The Howards do not see growth the same way many businesses do.

Their model is not built on volume. It is built on consistency.

“To us, quality means simple ingredients done the right way,” Daniel Howard said. “It’s flour, water, and salt turned into something special through time and care. It means small batches, consistency and never cutting corners, even when demand is high.”

That approach extends beyond baking.

“When possible, we use local ingredients and build relationships with other producers,” he said, pointing to products made with honey sourced from local beekeepers.

Rooted in community

For the Howards, the farmstand is as much about place as it is about product.

“This is home,” Daniel Howard said. “Everything we do is rooted here, from the ingredients we source to the people we serve.”

They stay involved in local events, extension programs and school and church fundraisers, reinforcing a connection they see as essential to what they are building.

“Local food keeps our community strong,” he said. “Every dollar spent locally supports families, not corporations.”

Recognition — and restraint

The farmstand’s growth recently brought statewide recognition.

Sour Doe Farmstand was accepted into the 2026 Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Farm Market Program, a designation that highlights markets meeting standards for quality, freshness and presentation and connects them with broader marketing opportunities.

The certification is meaningful but it does not change the way the Howards work.

Their focus remains on the same principles that built the business.

Looking ahead

The long-term goal is not rapid expansion. It is sustainability.

“We want to be a true one-stop local farm goods destination,” Daniel Howard said. “A place where people know they can come for high-quality baked goods, and value-added products.”

That may include agritourism, workshops and educational opportunities — ways to share knowledge as well as products.

But the definition of success is already clear.

“Success is building something that supports your family while making a positive impact on your community,” he said. “It’s not just about sales, it’s about consistency, trust and creating something that lasts.”

He paused, then added what may be the simplest measure of all.

“This is never gonna make us rich,” he said. “It’s about growing a true food system in our community.”

Find Sour Doe Farmstand open year-round at 3817 Rockcastle Road in Inez. Hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 606-939-2523.