Food Contributor Spotlight: Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches

8/13/25- Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches offers coffee, beer, and an assortment of fresh kolaches.

Travelling between music sets, Noah Lit quickly noticed the lack of high quality kolaches available in Texas. He and his brother Josh were spending their time playing in rock bands across the state; between gigs, they survived on mass produced kolaches from along the side of the highway.

A few years later, this observation became a business idea that would ultimately result in the family-run Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches. Located in east Austin, Batch’s menu features delicious kolaches as well as coffee and beer; the bakery and brewery also treats its guests to live music from local artists.

With musicians in the family, hosting live music events was an easy way for the new restaurant to quickly create a sense of community. In the years since, Batch has developed its own music scene with several bands playing at the restaurant since its inception; the bakery also hosts events supporting schools, nonprofits, and political candidates. 

Batch first discovered Keep Austin Fed during the pandemic while looking for ways to support the community it had cultivated and retain staff. In 2021, the restaurant officially became a food donor. Today, Batch donates leftover kolaches three times a week, benefiting Open Door Preschool, Hungry Hill Foundation, and Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center. “We’ve struggled with too little, too much,” said Josh Lit, General Manager and one of Batch’s co-founders. “We don’t struggle with that anymore because now if there’s too much, we know it’s going to a good place.”

8/13/25- The view from the front of Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches, but be sure to enjoy their outdoor seating around back too!

The bakery and brewery prepares fresh kolaches for its customers every morning. At the end of the day, any kolaches that haven’t been sold are labeled, refrigerated, and set aside for Keep Austin Fed. Keep Austin Fed’s flexible scheduling and pickup services have allowed Batch to seamlessly add donating to its daily operations. “It makes it so easy for us as a business,” said Lit. “It’s really been kind of a game changer.”

In addition to reducing food waste, donating leftover kolaches allows Batch to ensure that all of its food is eaten and appreciated. “It takes a lot of prep making these,” said Lit. “So throwing them away is always painful.”

Lit encourages businesses to donate their surplus food to reduce organizational waste and to avoid squandering their chefs’ hard work. Above all, however, Lit hopes businesses get involved with Keep Austin Fed to give back and support their communities. “I think for us, the value we get from [donating] is well beyond monetary value,” said Lit. “It makes the staff feel good, like they’re part of something that’s actually helping people.”