Eric Shogren, the owner of several Twin Cities bakeries, died on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, of a heart attack.
“Right up until the end, he was a baker and an entrepreneur,” said Robb Leer, a spokesman for Shogren’s company, on Dec. 26.
Shogren, 59, acquired several local and family run bakeries in recent years, including well-known chain Wuollet Bakery in 2019. The last Wuollet location closed this fall, but two other Shogren businesses, Hans’ Bakery in Anoka and A Baker’s Wife’s Pastry Shop in south Minneapolis, are still operating.
Shogren was a Minnesota native who had built a large bakery and restaurant business in Russia prior to his Twin Cities endeavors. When he purchased Wuollet, which had been a family bakery since 1944, he pledged to preserve its classic recipes while appealing to younger customers.
But the bakeries soon fell into financial difficulties: Landlords started eviction proceedings, staff alleged bounced paychecks and customers complained about declining quality. In 2024, a Chicago-based bank sued Shogren and his companies for defaulting on more than $1.3 million in loans.
Wuollet locations in Wayzata, downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul closed, with the last remaining remaining storefront near Uptown Minneapolis shuttering in September. Several other Shogren-owned bakeries also closed in that time, including Grandma’s Bakery in White Bear Lake and Emily’s Bakery in Hastings, which Shogren had transitioned into a Wuollet shop.
Shogren is survived by his wife, Olga Shogren, who owned the bakeries with him. Leer said it’s unclear what Shogren’s death will mean for the future of his remaining bakeries and the Wuollet brand, which lives on through an online decorative cake and cupcake service.
Shogren had been planning to restructure his business and continue operating.
