Only nine minutes after opening on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, the Holly Pond Bread Company is bustling with customers.
“ I taught Christy how to make sourdough bread, and that ' s the end of the story,” Bennefield shared one Friday afternoon during a visit to the shop.“ I mean, she took it, and she ' s expanded into all kinds of fabulous things. So, it just didn ' t end with just the sourdough bread. I just love Christy, and I call her my other daughter!”
Although it’ s hard to pick a favorite from Hitt’ s expanded menu, Bennefield said the bagels are high on the list.
On this particular Friday, Bennefield’ s sourdough was at home rising.
“ I still make sourdough bread about once a month, because my church( Pleasant Grove Baptist) likes to have a loaf of bread for communion. And you know what? When the preacher stands up here and breaks that bread, and he talks about Jesus breaking the bread … you can smell it."
A few years after listening to and watching Bennefield, Hitt began selling baked goods at farmers '
markets and community events throughout the area. As customers began buying her products faster and faster, she wondered if it was finally time to open a permanent location.
“ I told my husband, Tony, that if I don ' t try it now, I’ m probably never going to,” she said.“ We prayed and prayed about it, and God just kept opening doors.”
The Holly Pond Bread Company building is a former storage shed that she and Tony refurbished and moved to its present site a month before the grand opening. Wanting to create a family-friendly atmosphere, they included some picnic tables, shade umbrellas, outdoor games and seasonal decorations.
“ We wanted to transform the building and surrounding area into something meant to feel less like a quick retail stop and more like a place where people can linger,” Hitt explained.
Tony has been a major part of turning her vision into a reality, according to Hitt.
The antique tractor located next to the Holly Pond Bread Company belonged to the late Mike Wisener, a beloved member of the Holly Pond community who passed away in 2022.
Jo Jo’ s Lemon Cookies, right, are named for Joann Smith Morton, Christy Hitt ' s longtime friend and a fellow Holly Pond High School graduate who works next door at Murphy’ s Pharmacy and stops by every day for one of her signature cookies.
Cullman magazine | HOLIDAY 2026
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