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April 13, 2026
RHINELANDER – Butcher Shop Bake Company – the bakery known for its “half-pound hunks of love” – is celebrating a sweet victory after recently accepting the Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce Small Business Excellence Award.
“I have to say, it is truly humbling,” Owner Dustin Chronister said.
In 2016, when he opened his bakery in the Northwoods city – a company The Business News first featured in its Sept. 1, 2025 issue – Chronister said he felt compelled as a small business owner to make a positive impact.
“All the way back then, I said if I was going to be part of this community, I wanted to try to make it the best that I could possibly do,” he said. “Fast-forward a decade later, to get this award, I think, helps solidify that I’m living that life purpose and [am making] a positive impact on my community. [It’s] reassuring that I’m doing the right thing every day.”
After an initial “slow and gradual build,” Chronister said Butcher Shop Bake Company has grown exponentially over the last three years – earning partnerships with Festival Foods, Save More and Trig’s grocery stores with a potential distribution opportunity on the horizon.
“I can’t talk too much about it yet, but hopefully…, [we’ll secure] distribution opportunities to connect us with partners farther away in the state,” he said.
Currently, Chronister said Butcher Shop Bake Company’s products are self-distributed by himself and his team.
“That right now is our next growth hindrance,” he said. “We can only be in so many places, so many times, so fast – so finding a correct logistical partner to help make that happen is going to be key for our next phase of growth.”
Chronister said he and his team are also constantly cooking up new creations in the Butcher Shop Bake Company kitchen, regularly adding new sweet treats and good eats to their menu made famous by their picturesque cookies.
“I always try to be an innovator,” he said. “We just started our own line of in-house ice cream…, a take-and-bake pizza line [and] we’ve really grown into the brownie and blondie realm as well. We’re always trying to do unique things that maybe people haven’t seen in a while or haven’t seen before, period.”
Extreme community involvement
Despite not being a “full-fledged restaurant,” Chronister said he’s constantly looking for new ways to offer more in his community.
“I just felt like the Northwoods community, especially my Rhinelander-specific community, could use a little bit more options and flair for food,” he said. “We have a lot of great food, but we don’t have a lot of ‘city-influenced’ food.”
Chronister said he believes his team’s dedication to putting “love and passion in every product” they create is one of the reasons Butcher Shop Bake Company received the Small Business Excellence award.
“Every single day, we put our best foot forward,” he said. “We even have a ‘Whoopsie’ program for our customers [where everything is] essentially half off…, because I have such strict standards. If it isn’t picture perfect, I don’t want it to go out, because I want our customers to have the best experience when they come to Butcher Shop Bake Company.”
Chronister said their “extreme” involvement in the Rhinelander community, he believes, was also a contributing factor to their recent recognition.
“I think small businesses and small communities go hand in hand,” he said. “We try to be extremely transparent [and] open, always putting] integrity first [to be] good role models in our community.”
For those interested in trying Butcher Shop Bake Company’s products, Chronister said customers can shop online at butchershopbakecompany.com.
“If they’re farther away, not close to a retailer, we ship nationwide,” he said. “So, we can always get delicious cookies right to their doorstep.”
