Getting in the Brothy Business

“I started Brothy because, ultimately, I believe in it.”

In 2017 honing, crafting, packaging, marketing and selling bone broth was the furthest thing from Julia Baker’s mind. She was in her twenties and suffering from disruptive and painful gut issues. She spoke to her doctor and they ran a series of tests, with everything coming back frustratingly normal. Her doctor told her that she was fine, and Julia remembers thinking, “that is an insane answer. I do not feel fine.”

So instead, Julia took matters into her own hands. She began educating herself about her symptoms and possible root causes. Many roads led her back to the same place: bone broth. Intrigued, she started to look into what was available to her. Julia is a self-proclaimed “west-side gal,” so she began with her local community: Hillsdale Farmers Market, PSU, Beaverton. She started making her own broth, always made from pasture raised animal bones, never skimping for the sake of cost. She roasted the bones first, to better prepare them for maximum nutrient removal. She became exact in her creation and, quicker than she expected, her symptoms began to improve. “I felt better than I did doing crazy detoxes – cutting out all gluten, dairy, all the things.”

How did making bone broth heal Julia? Many of us have heard of the term “leaky gut” which refers to the phenomenon when your intestinal tract becomes more porous than is ideal. When that happens, good gut bacteria ends up in parts of the body where it does not belong. In response, your immune system will flare, attacking those bacteria. When the tract is not healed, this process continues daily, leading to a constant low level of inflammation. That inflammation can manifest in a myriad of ways: cramps, bloating, food sensitivities, digestive issues, and even some cognitive issues, like brain fog.

Quality bone broth is high in nutrients your body needs to repair the lining of your gut. Animals’ bones contain collagen, as well as essential amino acids and important minerals that your body uses to maintain digestive systems. By researching, reading, and careful crafting, Julia had created her own most powerful medicine, right there on her stove top.

And so Brothy was born. Julia started by healing herself but immediately began to share her broth with friends. Her community appreciated the accessibility of incorporating bone broth into their regular health regimen, quickly encouraging her to start a business. Everyone say the value immediately because “it’s not a daunting ritual,” which was her goal. Julia recommends adding a cup of broth to your morning, drank on an empty stomach for maximum effect.

Brothy was built knowing that the quality of your bone broth matters. Julia’s products are more gelatinous than what you might find a grocery store, which is all that good collagen going to work. While other bone broths maybe watered down or extra salty to cut costs, Brothy is all about the end product. Julia laughs as she says, “when I first made it, I ignored all profitability – I was making it for me. It’s about healing.”

Now selling in multiple Portland area markets, Julia relishes interacting with her customers and hearing their personal health stories. She is not interested in moving her product to wholesale, because people and community wellness are the foundation of her business. “My wife designed my logo – I told her it needs to encapsulate fun and healthy. Sometimes talking about health is so serious. Eat the rainbow or get heart disease. Walk 10,000 steps a day or get dementia.” But with Brothy, she says, “people want to drink it, it’s not a chore.” Julia glows when she talks about helping others feeling left behind by traditional western medicine. “My customers always come back and say “this totally healed my gut” and that is my highest compliment.”

Find Julia Baker and her bone broth business, Brothy, at Hillsdale this weekend and every other weekend moving forward.