North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation approves financing toward purchase of Birchtree Bread Company

Funding to support business growth for popular Crust Bake Shop

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), the economic development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, recently approved a $125,000 loan as part of a funding package with TD Bank, for owners of Crust Bake Shop to purchase Birchtree Bread Company, located on Green Street in Worcester.

The restaurant was purchased by Alexis Kelleher and Nate Rossi, owners of the popular Crust Bake Shop in Worcester, to expand Crust Bake Shop with a larger commercial kitchen facility while enabling Birchtree Bread Company to continue servicing the booming canal district.

In 2016, Kelleher opened Crust focusing on artisan breads, pastries, baked goods, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. In August 2020, Crust expanded to a second location on West Boylston Street in Worcester. This loan helped to retain 22 full-time and 35 part-time jobs and was referred by NCMDC by the Small Business Development Center.

“We have experienced tremendous growth over the past six years and after looking for a large, commercial kitchen we learned Birchtree Bread Company was for sale,” said Kelleher. “This was the perfect opportunity for us to expand our business and continue providing the dedicated customers at Birchtree the food and beverages they’ve come to love over the years. We are grateful to the Small Business Development Corporation, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation and to TD Bank for helping us achieve our goals.”

As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $250,000 for working capital, real estate, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.

For more information about the NCMDC loan programs, please call 978.353.7607 or visit NorthCentralMass.com or ChooseNorthCentral.com.