Pioneer Bakery in Boonville closed its doors last year, but since then, new owners have acquired the bakery. Now we officially know when this Warrick County gem will reopen.
On East Gum Street, in the middle of a Boonville neighborhood, sits Pioneer Bakery. It doesn’t have multiple locations in high-traffic areas like Donut Bank. There’s no neon sign flashing outside to let passersby know a fresh, hot batch of donuts just came out of the fryer like Krispy Kreme. Its name isn’t recognized nationally like Dunkin. It’s just a small, simple rectangular building the size of a small house that’s been serving the residents of Boonville for��about 65 years. While it isn’t a massive chain, ask any Boonville resident who’s been there, and they’ll tell you there’s no better donut around.
Pioneer Bakery first opened on the Boonville Square in the mid-1950s. It later moved to the location on East Gum Street. Though ownership has changed hands a couple of times since it first opened, one thing has never changed: the delicious recipes of the doughnuts. Pioneer Bakery has offered everything that a doughnut fan loves. We are talking about things like doughnuts, Danish, twists, long johns, honey buns, jelly and Bavarian bismarks, cream horns, apple fritters, and brownies.
One thing that folks in the area know about is the hours of operation for Pioneer Bakery. The sign on the door reads “Tues. through Sun. 5 a.m. until ???”. There was only a limited number of doughnuts made each day, and when they were gone, they were gone. Most folks would order ahead to make sure they got their hands on some. Since closing time depends on how fast the doughnuts sold out, you wanted to make sure that you got there almost as they opened to ensure that plenty of doughnuts were available.
Unfortunately, the Boonville gem closed its doors in 2024 due to health reasons, but the business remained for sale. On Monday, December 9th of last year, Erica Meier announced that she and her family had purchased Pioneer Bakery. The Meiers purchased the bakery from the previous owners, Danny and Faith Wheeler. The Wheelers purchased the bakery in 1985, and Meier says that she is grateful and thankful that the Wheelers are trusting them to carry on the legacy of the bakery. The Meiers did purchase all of the original recipes and the Wheelers are going to help along the way to ensure they bring back the Pioneer Bakery that Boonville has known for decades…