Bakery Update

[hatman]

The idea is to create a business which will employ people who have trouble finding work through no real fault of their own. In particular, we're looking at homeless, disabled, and/or veterans.

We're going to give them jobs (with health benefits), and, in doing so, we're going to teach them marketable skills and give them real work they can put on a resume. We won't kick anyone out, but we want to make sure they have prospects when they're ready to move on. And that will create new openings for us to employ others.

The working name for now is Rising Tide. (As in "a rising tide lifts all boats." Make things better for the people at the bottom and you end up helping everyone around.) The previous entry with this tag has some other names I thought of. Tikkun seems popular. I'm also toying with "Your Happy Place." But, for the moment, Rising Tide it is. (I like it, and the friends I'm working with both individually picked it out as their favorite.)

We're still working on location. Central NJ seems promising. There's a space we found in New Brunswick which might be just about perfect... if we can get it for a reasonable price. The business that's there is closed. We're going to contact the owner and see what comes of it. At least try to get our metaphorical foot in the door before someone else snaps the space up.

But we're not tied to it. We're also considering Princeton and Philly and are open to other ideas.

The friends I'm working with have an extensive and helpful network of friends, including someone who is personal friends with the founder of the Greyston Bakery, whose model I hope to emulate.

We're unsure of menu right now. Whether it'll just be baked goods or whether we'll offer cafe and lunch items, as well. That will depend on location, among other things.

Speaking of location, it turns out that fully equipped food trucks are cheaper than we thought. It's a good option for expansion and mobility. Perhaps even a different model for the business entirely - produce things off the beaten path (where real estate is cheaper) and then send one or more trucks out to likely spots.

This is scary. It's going to be a big investment. But it could do a lot of good for a good number of people - myself among them. And we're going to try to put money into things which can be resold, just in case, so if it falls through I won't have lost everything.

But we do still need to find qualified people to put in charge. People who know how to run a business and know how to run a successful commercial kitchen. We've got a couple of ideas on where to look, though, and we'll start at it early this coming year.

Comments

[not_a_sniglet]

I think this is a totally amazing idea.

[schnuffichen.livejournal.com]

Nothing worthwhile to contribute except: You're awesome for doing this! Good luck with figuring everything out, it's an incredible idea! :)

[atiggerslife.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I think this is going fabulously. I like the idea that you are giving jobs to people who would otherwise have a hard time getting one. Just remember that baking isn't exactly easy stuff, at least not on this scale. You're going to need to have someone who knows what they're doing, at least at first. If you have them initially, they can train others. :) I really wish I could help out with my own skills, but we're too far apart. I am excited for you, watching this take shape!

[annabtg.livejournal.com]

I hope it all goes great! :D