If you drive down a quiet street just north of the University of Texas at Austin campus on a Tuesday morning, you might spot a line forming outside a small green shed. The charming storefront is home to Stoya Bread & Co., a weekly destination for sourdough lovers, neighborhood regulars and curious students hoping to get their hands on fresh baked goods handmade by two members of UT’s Class of 2026.
When Sydney Stewart and Nicolas Montoya met in 2024, they quickly bonded over a shared love of baking. “We had always kind of been cooking and baking all the time together,” Stewart said. “We already had a cookie recipe that we used religiously, so that made it easy.” Today, that same cookie recipe helps to stock the shelves of the bread shed each week alongside sourdough loaves, English muffins and other baked goods.
What started as a shared hobby soon turned into a business idea. Montoya, a mechanical engineering major, designed and built the bread shed from scratch, while Stewart, a sustainability studies major with a minor in entrepreneurship, focused on growing the business and connecting with customers. Even the name Stoya reflects their partnership, combining the founders’ last names, Stewart and Montoya.
Through social media, word of mouth and pop-up markets across Austin, the pair slowly built a loyal following. Their small neighborhood operation quickly grew into a community staple, with customers regularly lining up outside the shed for weekly restocks and even placing preorders to make sure they satisfied their Stoya cravings.
As they prepare to graduate, the pair is already thinking about the future of Stoya Bread & Co. Montoya plans to begin working full time in the HVAC industry while continuing to help Stewart grow the business. Together, they hope to expand through additional bread sheds across Austin and more appearances at local farmers markets, creating even more opportunities to connect with the community they have built around their love of baking.
When asked about what keeps Stoya going, Stewart simply said, “The look in someone’s eye whenever you know you’ve made something exactly perfect. That’s why I bake.”
