Why the name Voyageurs?

Let me make a guess at why you're here reading this blog post.

Maybe it’s because you love real bread - artisan, hand-crafted, locally sourced, wholesome bread. Better known as Voyageurs Sourdough.

Or maybe you’re here to catch a breath of fresh "internet-air" outside of all the news headlines, promotion emails, and social media threads.

Whatever the reason... you're here and I am so grateful for that. Being here means you're a Voyageurs Insider... getting all the extra-sweet deets about what goes on inside Voyageurs - in the Bakehouse, with the team, the newest breads and pastries, in the minds of the owners. 

So what does it mean to be a voyageur? And why did we name ourselves Voyageurs in the first place?

If you've ever given a child a name, maybe you'll agree that choosing a name for something before it's fully matured is quite a challenge. 

... Will the name match their personality 10 years from now? 
... Will they like their name when they are 15, 30, 45 years old? 
... Is the name suited for a doctor, artist, musician, teacher, barista, entrepreneur... or any of the other 100 careers this person might choose?

The questions are similar when naming a business. Who knew what Voyageurs would turn into when it was simply a test concept back in July 2018? In fact, we're still discovering what Voyageurs is becoming each and every day. 

But when the time came to make a decision on our name, these are the 3 main reasons why we decided to call ourselves Voyageurs…

1. Relevant to local history: The French Voyageurs

It started with a trip to the Neville Museum in 2018 during their exhibition called 200 years of Brown County. I was new to Green Bay (and the U.S.) and wanted to learn a bit about the local history. I learned about the story of the Voyageurs - the name of the French Canadian fur traders who explored and traded along the Fox River in the Greater Green Bay area.

This historical tie to the area felt relevant to our business name, as I wanted to revive something traditional that had been lost here: the art of artisan, hand-made sourdough. 

2. Our personal identification with being Voyageurs 

Being a Voyageur means exploring curiosities. It means trying something new and venturing down roads untraveled. It means discovering innovative ways of doing and thinking, and bringing our curiosities around the table with a community of people to collaboratively spark change. 

It may seem as though we simply bake bread. But in our hearts we know that baking bread brings people together around a table, which is often where ideas are born that lead to the positive change we hope for.  

3. Returning to the basics of breadmaking

The French Voyageurs would have brought with them knowledge of traditional European breadmaking techniques. Voyageurs Bakehouse felt like a revival of these long respected sourdough techniques that have been practiced for thousands of years.

When you take a bite into a slice of our bread, you have the chance to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a quiet corner patisserie of Paris or any European town. You get to go on a little mini-Voyage through the simple experience of tasting and savoring traditional bread. 

About our logo...

In the early days of our business, I was playing around with different scoring techniques. I thought to myself...

"What should the Voyageurs signature bread look like?" 

One single thought and a lucky score ended up being the visual representation of our brand.  

When we look at our logo, we see... 

• The intersection of two journeys coming together
• Two baguettes crossed together
• The meeting point of bringing people together
• Two canoes crossed together

What do you see? Let us know in the comments below what symbolism you see in our logo. 

I'm also curious...

• How do you bring curiosity to your daily life and food shared around the table? 
• Do you love to explore and continually discover new things? 
• What does being a Voyageur mean to you? 

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please reach out in the comments below or send us a note!