From Family Bakery to Industry Leadership: Lynn Schurman of Cold Spring Bakery
For nearly eight decades, Cold Spring Bakery has been part of the fabric of central Minnesota.
Founded in 1946 by Mel and Floss Schurman after Mel learned baking while serving in the Navy during World War II, the bakery began as a small family business rooted in craftsmanship and community service.
Today, that legacy continues under the leadership of Lynn and Dale Schurman, who purchased the business in 1986 and transformed it into a thriving retail and wholesale operation.
When Lynn joined the bakery, her background was actually in psychology and community counseling. But after working in the family business and discovering her entrepreneurial spirit, she realized the bakery was where she truly belonged.
Taking ownership came with challenges. The business that had once supported a single family now needed to support multiple households. Rather than scaling back, Lynn and Dale made a strategic decision to expand.
By growing the wholesale side of the business and building delivery routes to serve grocery stores and local businesses, Cold Spring Bakery developed a more stable year-round revenue stream that balanced the seasonal nature of retail bakery sales.
Today the bakery employs more than 60 team members, operates two retail locations, and maintains four delivery routes serving businesses throughout the region.
Beyond her work at the bakery, Lynn has also played an important role in advancing the baking industry.
She has served as past Board President of the Retail Bakers of America, contributed to the IBIE Committee, and spent more than a decade as Education Director for RBA, helping develop professional learning opportunities for bakery owners and decorators across the country.
Her passion for education extends beyond the baking world as well—Lynn has served on her local school board for over forty years, advocating for educational opportunities in her community.
For Lynn, the true success of Cold Spring Bakery isn’t measured only in business growth.
It’s in the families who return year after year for holiday traditions, wedding cakes, and childhood memories that begin with a donut from the local bakery.
As she shared on The Perfect Rise Podcast, community bakeries aren’t just businesses—they’re part of people’s lives.
By: Kimberly I. Houston. Kimberly is a pastry chef, educator, and business strategist dedicated to strengthening the baking industry through education, standards, and professional development. As the host of The Perfect Rise podcast and a leader within the Retail Bakers of America, she focuses on elevating bakers, instructors, and bakery owners through conversations that center mastery, sustainability, and long-term career growth.