Swells Sourdough Bakery is trading its farmers market tent for a permanent home, opening a storefront at 2254 India St in Little Italy on October 1. The family-owned bakery, known for loaves fermented up to 48 hours, will host a soft-opening celebration this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. before flipping to daily retail hours the following week.
The bakery was founded by Pamela Ramos Peraza and Erik Ramos Peraza, who built their following at farmers markets including the Little Italy Mercato and the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market, according to WhatNow. The outlet reports Swells was established in 2022 as a coastal micro-bakery, growing from home baking into the storefront opening this week, per KPBS. Saturday's soft-opening event will include a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony and live entertainment, according to the City of San Diego.
From Market Stall to Storefront Menu
Before opening the physical shop, Swells expanded well beyond standard sourdough loaves, adding hand-rolled bagels slow-fermented for 48 hours, sourdough cookies, and small-batch whipped artisan cream cheeses, as reported by SanDiegoVille. WhatNow notes the bakery ferments each loaf for approximately 36 to 48 hours and describes itself as focused on quality ingredients, traditional fermentation and better bread. Pamela Ramos Peraza said Swells was created to make bread with quality ingredients, thoughtfully sourced grains and sufficient fermentation time.
Each loaf relies on certified organic, non-GMO flour supplied by Central Milling, which emphasizes stone-milled California grains free of bleaching or bromate additives. The bakery describes its flour as certified organic and responsibly sourced, without bleaching or unnecessary refining. Pamela Ramos Peraza is a chef whose mother graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, while Erik Ramos Peraza grew up on the East Coast, where Sunday bagels were a family tradition, according to the bakery's own account on its website.
A New Look at an Old Ramen Spot
The India Street storefront previously housed chef Junya Watanabe's Japanese restaurant concepts, including RakiRaki Ramen and the plant-based restaurant The Yasai. The space, designed by Andrew Walker, now features a wall depicting a farmers market, waves and baked goods, and gives guests a view into the dough room where fermentation and baking happen.
Swells is keeping a foot in both worlds, continuing its regular presence at the Little Italy Mercato even as the new shop opens.
The Market That Built the Brand
The Little Italy Mercato, where Swells first built its customer base, has booths along West Cedar Street from Kettner Boulevard to Front Street and hosts more than 150 California farmers, artisan food makers and craft vendors, according to the Downtown San Diego Partnership.
India Street's walkable dining culture now frames the new storefront's foot-traffic appeal. Swells says it plans to operate Tuesday through Sunday once daily retail begins, though final hours remain subject to confirmation. Whether the bakery can sustain its lengthy fermentation process at storefront volume remains an open question as the shop transitions from occasional market sales to its Tuesday-through-Sunday storefront schedule.
