The Holly Pond Bread Company is located on U. S. 278 between Murphy’ s Pharmacy and AutoZone. It is open Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 6 p. m. and Saturday from 8 a. m. to noon.
Martha Bennefield, right, and Janice Murphree share a laugh while visiting at the Holly Pond Bread Company on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.
Some moments remind Hitt why the long hours are worth it. A customer may tell her that her cinnamon rolls taste like the ones their mother used to make, or perhaps someone might drive an hour to visit. Customers travel from well outside Holly Pond, while others live down the road. Hitt said both mean just as much to her.
“ I wanted people to feel comfortable here,” she said.“ Sometimes people come to buy bread, but sometimes they just come to sit and talk. I want people to feel like they belong here. It’ s not just a place to buy a loaf of bread. I want it to be a place where people can come together.”
Hitt estimated that approximately 300 people turned out for the grand opening on June 6, which included free cookies and lemonade and live music. She had a short time to prepare for the event after leaving a position in the medical field. But friends, former coworkers, church members, and family came together to help.
“ Honestly, I didn’ t know if anyone would show up,” she said.“ But people just kept coming and coming. I will never forget it.”
Hitt has been surprised by how many people she is meeting for the first time in the town she has called home for most of her life.
“ I thought I knew everybody in Holly Pond,” she said.“ Since opening this store, I have met so many people I had never met before. It has been one of the sweetest parts of all of this.”
Hitt spent approximately 25 years working in the medical field before deciding it was finally time to take a chance on something she had grown to love— baking. She credits longtime friend Martha Bennefield with teaching her how to make homemade sourdough bread about 13 years ago. At the time, Bennefield was teaching Hitt how to quilt. One day, Martha offered her a piece of homemade sourdough bread.
“ I pretty much told Martha we could forget the quilting lessons because I wanted her to teach me how to make that bread,” Hitt said with a laugh.
What began as a bread lesson grew into something much more.
“ Martha not only taught me how to make bread; she taught me how to share love, one loaf at a time,” said Hitt.“ I’ m just trying to carry forward Martha’ s example of the simple joy found in sharing something made by hand and from the heart.”
The friendship between Hitt and Bennefield goes back to when Hitt attended school with Bennefield’ s children.
36 Cullman magazine | HOLIDAY 2026