Hello. Well, the first thing you need to know about us is that we are not a bakery. We are WSU researchers working outside of the commodity system on wheat and other grains. And, yeah, we bake. One of our goals is to introduce the concept of affordability into our regional food systems—specifically to develop better tasting, healthier, affordable bread and keep the value where it is produced while not pricing people out of staple foods.
Afterall, it’s just bread.
We create and breed different wheat, barley and rye varieties that are better for the soil and farming, way better tasting, and best of all, healthier for you. Then we share that knowledge with the rest of the world. We work with bakers, farmers, flour mills and basically anyone that wants to create healthier food through whole grains. Our goal is to change the way the world views and eats wheat.
We live and work out of Skagit Valley, Washington but our hope is that our philosophy and the actual idea of eating the whole grain becomes a world-wide habit.
Thanks,
Stephen Jones, Director WSU Breadlab
joness@wsu.edu
Our Faculty and Staff
Director

Managing Director

Plant Breeder

Special Projects

Our PhD Students

Merri Metcalfe is a doctoral student at WSU Breadlab working under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Jones. Her research focuses on the accessibility, quality, and affordability of grain-based products from Western Washington and on breeding for increased fiber content in wheat along with subsequent health and cropping/food system benefits of doing so. She completed a Master of Sciences in Sport Nutrition at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) in May 2018. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies at the Breadlab, Merri worked as a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorder treatment and sport nutrition, but most recently has been moved by the need to cultivate a more positive and resilient food system. If she isn’t thinking about whole grains, fiber, or farming, her brain is most likely occupied by some sort of climbing goal or contemplating one of life’s mysteries that probably or perhaps hopefully can never be answered by science.
Colored and Perennial Wheats


Laura comes to WSU Breadlab with a B.A. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and more than two years’ experience of managing a small organic coffee roastery and porridge café in her hometown in Estonia. She is working towards her Ph.D. under the guidance of Dr. Stephen S. Jones. Born and raised in Estonia on rye bread, it seemed only natural to focus her research on rye, a much-underappreciated grain here in the US. Inspired by Paul Gaugin, she asks, ‘Where does rye come from? What is rye good for? What is the place of rye in the future?’ Underpinning her projects is the quest for diversity (in agriculture, in baking) and the plea for reconsidering our expectations (as farmers, millers, bakers and eaters). She is investigating the role rye could have in our food system to ensure sustainability, improve human health, and ensure culinary enjoyment.

Louie Prager moved to Skagit Valley from Carlsbad, California. Louie earned a B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he focused on botany and plant ecology. After graduating he started a craft bakery with his brother making organic artisan breads. Prager Brothers Artisan Breads began collaborations with the Bread Lab in 2013, this eventually led to the opportunity for Louie to join WSU Breadlab full time. Under the guidance of Dr. Stephen S. Jones, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Crop Science working on breeding colored barley for malting purposes with a focus on varieties intended for organic agriculture. He is funded by Westland Distillery. Besides his love for food and helping communities improve their food system, Louie loves to backpack, surf, and ride his unicycle.