Émeraude Bakery Is Moving on Down the Road

I’ve written a few times in this space about Émeraude Bakery, Hunter Briley’s fantastic Mt. Juliet bread kitchen. He is putting out some of the greatest sourdough I’ve enjoyed since I moved home from the Bay Area in the late ’80s. What started as a hobby in Briley’s basement has expanded into a business that bakes more than 25,000 loaves per year, not to mention his delicious cinnamon rolls and other pastries. 

Briley had already been considering expanding when he found out that the city of Mt. Juliet is planning to widen Lebanon Road, and that will most likely take out his current building at 9904 Lebanon Road. Rather than bemoan the fact that the city’s progress might stifle his own, Briley is making the move down the street into a new facility that will seriously upgrade his workspace and retail operation.

What began as a hobby in a Mt. Juliet basement has grown into one of the community's most popular bakeries. Now, exactly two years after opening its first storefront, Émeraude Bakery is celebrating its second anniversary with a major announcement: The locally owned bakery is moving into a new location more than twice the size of its current space.

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The new location will feature more than 3,000 square feet and will be located beneath Nutrition Nova in the same building where Nicoletto's Italian Kitchen is preparing to open its newest location in Mt. Juliet. 

Émeraude plans to finish 2026 at its current Lebanon Road location before spending January transitioning into the new space, with a targeted opening in February. He is very excited about the new opportunity.

"Two years ago, we were just trying to figure out how to make enough bread for our neighbors without completely taking over our house,” he says in the official announcement. “I never imagined we'd be standing here today, selling out every day, producing thousands of baked goods every week and announcing that we've already outgrown our first bakery. We took a huge risk turning an old gun range into Émeraude, and this community showed up for us in a way we'll never forget. This next chapter is about continuing to grow without losing what made people fall in love with us in the first place. We're incredibly grateful, and we're just getting started."

He also invites the community to get involved as supporters through a Kickstarter fundraising campaign that will be run through the emeraudebakery.com website. Of course, this blog post is not an offer or recommendation to invest, but it is a suggestion to go buy some of the best bread you’ve ever tasted at Émeraude!

And for something completely different, Chef Briley is teaming up with Barrel House tonight to make Friday the 13th luckier as they collaborate on a special ramen night. Briley will be making hakkō fermented sourdough noodles while the Barrel House crew prepares 200 bowls at this first-come, first-served event that will start around 4 p.m. and last until all the noods are gone. No preorders will be accepted, so get there early!