Meet The Founders

South County Bread Company is proudly owned by local couple, Keri Lyn & Jeff Collins. Some Rhode Island natives, who chose to grow their family, and their business, in Rhode Island.

The Founders

Keri Lyn and Jeff are accepting a 2023 Chamber of Commerce award.

  • Founder & Owner

    Keri Lyn Collins is a born and raised Rhode Islander, having gone to high school in Westerly and South Kingstown. She continued her higher education at the University of Rhode Island (Studio Art) and continuing education classes at RI School of Design. She spent much of her early twenties traveling the globe to experience different cultures and see what career path felt right. The one continuing theme she found was, that she enjoyed the customer-centric jobs where community and commerce were woven together.

    Fast forward past a variety of rewarding positions, in 2013 Keri Lyn took on her most important role to date, Mom. Those duties multiplied again in 2019. Since 2020, Keri Lyn has served as Customer Experience & Events Director as well as Co-Founder and owner of South County Bread Company, with her husband Jeff. She enjoys the fast-paced life of the bakery, interacting with community members, and weaving her early passion for art culture into the bakery whenever possible.

    When not at So Co Bread or managing staff, Keri Lyn enjoys spending time with her two kids, and their dogs, and hanging at one of the many coastal beaches of Rhode Island with her family.

  • Founder & Owner

    Jeffery Collins was born and raised in South Kingstown, RI, where he graduated from South Kingstown High School as a pivotal member of the state champion baseball team of 2002. From there he started his collegiate career in CT, then Rhode Island College, before landing at Johnson & Wales and receiving a degree in Culinary Studies. Soon upon graduation he moved back to SK and began working in kitchens, his first culinary job being at the famed “Antons” - home of the NY Hot Weiner.

    His culinary career took him all over New England, learning and honing his craft from a bakery in Colts Neck, New Jersey, to Pain Davignon in Hyannis, Massachusetts, and then back to South Kingstown, where he ran and developed his own line of bread at Belmont’s Market. Through each step of his culinary journey, he sharpened his skills while building a passion for made-from-scratch breads and pastries.

    In 2020 Jeff and his wife, Keri decided to go out on their own and open their bakery, focused on an entire menu of in-house made breads and pastries, scratching it out every single day. They first setup shop in a local Pizzeria, before building enough of a following and income to upgrade to a main street retail location. Making it the way it's supposed to be, from scratch.

    Owning his own business has been challenging, a true love affair with the hard work it takes to truly make your inventory every single day. Ultimately, however, the reward for Jeff is found in the delight of his customers. Hearing “Thank you for being here” and “Thank you for doing this” provides a feeling of accomplishment and community involvement that keeps him happily coming back to scratch it out every day.

    When not at the bakery you can find Jeff at any of South County’s famed surfing spots, on the golf course, or spending quality time with his wife, two kids, and dog at their home in South County. To him, there is no better reward from a week of baking, than spending a nice long beach day with his family.

Awards & Recognitions

We are proud community members of the following organizations.