Dozen Bakery’s success is emblematic of the growth of Nashville. At the time of this publication, the bakery will be getting ready to celebrate its official ten-year anniversary. It was never meant to make it this long.

Founder and owner Claire Meneely started Dozen in 2009 as a one-person holiday cookie pop-up, baking in a rented commercial kitchen and selling at local farmers markets. The eventual goal was to return to California, where she had been previously. Over time, however, she built up good local word-of-mouth and press, eventually deciding to make the transition to a brick-and-mortar store. This was during a time when Nashville was also in transition, becoming a major living destination in addition to its booming tourism.

Meneely grew up in Nashville, but both her parents were from Pennsylvania. She wasn’t raised “Southern” but did adopt the Southern hospitality in her cooking. She went to college and culinary school in the Bay Area of California, known for its bread, where she experienced that trade and honed her craft. She then moved to France, which was very influential in her bread baking.

“It was really fun to go to Paris and do the stereotype of baking for people who very much care for what their baguette looks like,” she says. “As a baker that was so rewarding.”

Ingredients were an emphasis early on, which helped her to grow from a pop-up to one of the biggest and most highly regarded bakeries in the area. Locals and visitors are enamored with the bread, especially the sourdough. Dozen works with a starter that Meneely brought back from Paris, which has been going for at least 115 years.

DozenBakery_BarsMadeleines.jpgSource: Dozen Bakery

Customers also enjoy a variety of cookies and pastries, including croissants, kouign amann, scones and pies. In addition to the retail side, which includes a breakfast and lunch menu, Dozen produces bread and pastries for dozens of wholesale clients, about 30 percent of its business. It chooses these partners carefully, finding ones that match its ethos.

All of this keeps Dozen’s 50-plus employees busy. At any given time, there are nearly two dozen working in the kitchen alone. The old space was no longer cutting it. When Meneely first opened the brick-and-mortar location in the city’s Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, the surrounding area was a unique place for creators, such as art studios, making it a bit more affordable. Despite the bakery’s decent size (2,200 square feet), Dozen’s success and the growth of the area necessitated an even bigger space.

This February, on the bakery’s tenth anniversary, it’s completing a move to a new space two miles south of Wedgewood-Houston, which is already two miles south of downtown. It is 11,000 square feet (five times as big), dwarfing the old bakery in size. You can see the glimmer in the eyes of Meneely and general manager Christopher Hajeck as they discuss the possibilities that will be open to them and the staff.

Taking care of her employees is another point of emphasis for Meneely. Education and integrity are key values for the bakery. In that pursuit, Dozen offers full-time employees healthcare, PTO and 401k matching as well as paid parental leave, while part-time employees receive PTO, paid parental leave and 401k matching. To help team employees be more knowledgeable, Dozen pays for them to take outside classes meant to hone and develop skills for the future benefit of their careers. Additionally, it offers 101 classes in the Bread, Pastry, Coffee and Savory departments for all employees to gain a deeper understanding of every piece of the Dozen puzzle, and as a member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, provides bakers with a community of fellow professional bakers, forums and educational opportunities.

“We’ve had people here for a long time,” Meneely says. “I think some of it is creating a culture where I think everyone who works here wants to do a good job. They enjoy that about their colleagues. Every area, I can say that department is trying their best, but it’s not at the expense of your sanity or personhood.”

A stronger team builds a stronger community, which is another important facet of the business. This extends to everyone from the customers to local business partners. Through local initiatives and unique sustainability efforts Dozen ensures that it is doing its part to help Nashville thrive.

One of the most notable of these sustainability efforts is that Dozen obtained Climate Neutral Certification through the Change Climate Project in April 2024. The bakery thoughtfully sources ingredients, packaging and equipment to maintain this certification and continue reducing carbon emissions.