Bakery
New Pioneer Co-op
22 S. Van Buren St., Iowa City
1101 Second St., Coralville
The story of New Pioneer is well known. Fans of natural and organic foods band together in 1969 and form a bulk food buying club that grows over the years into two high-end natural food stores. It's always a finalist in our best grocery category, but their bakery has also carved out a niche, with a 10-ton hearth oven with 225 square feet of baking surface to create the signature crispy crusts. You can even download a bread schedule, so you know which days you can pick up the freshest loaves of your favorite breads.
What voters said:
- “The bread is soo good fresh in the morning and the pumpkin cookies are worth waiting for.”
- “Their croissants are made with real butter, by actual real people, not from frozen prepackaged dough.”
- “The pink chiffon cake is to die for!”
Runners-up: Deluxe, The Cottage, Bread Garden, Yummy's.
Last year’s winner: The Cottage