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Making a difference......


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PERFECTION 


Wow, wow, wow! I'm still in awe of the beauty of pastry...The lamination process (the process of layering butter and dough) is a practice in precision. This is why we call the croissant production room the Dojo - a dojo is a sacred space where one practices a martial art, and we very much view the work that our Dojo team does as an art. And we mix a lot of dough in this room too, ha!

 

Thanks to Dojo team member Daniela for her photo of our Tahitian Vanilla Knots before they head into the freezer for the night. You can see specks of vanilla caviar throughout - the process begins with a multi-day steeping process with organic milk and whole Tahitian Vanilla beans. The result? A dough infused throughout with the sweet and floral scent of Tahitian vanilla.

 

Pre-order now, or just pop on by. We're baking hot from the oven every Tuesday - Sunday, from 7a-2p.


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COSTS 

 

As of today, we will be increasing our retail prices. This is something that Jenny and I have considered for months now, but for the longevity of IZOLA, we know it is the right decision. I know that for some, our current prices already feel too high, but we'd like to pull the curtain back and share with you all what it takes to deliver our vision of a hot-from-the-oven artisan croissant.

 

Since the last time we increased prices in 2022:

  • Labor costs have increased 15%

  • Our rent cost has doubled

  • We've seen an average increase of 23% in our food costs

     

    Each and every croissant or sourdough that you enjoy has been made lovingly, by hand, within the walls of our bakeshop on Island Avenue. We don't take any shortcuts - we still take 4 days to make a croissant, 3 days for a loaf sourdough. We use only the best tasting ingredients, real food: butter from Normandy, organic milk, fresh vegetables, AOP cheese, organic flour milled in Utah, whole olives.

     

    On bake day, our inspiring Bake team fires up the ovens and bakes precisely scheduled smaller batches all morning while we're open so that we can serve everything hot from the oven.

    Then the baton (or croissant in this case!) is passed to our Front of House team, where they provide Michelin-level hospitality to our guests.

     

    All in all, it takes a team of 47 to do what we do, and we're so proud of each and every one of them. And we want to pay them a living wage.

     

Questions? Hit reply on this email - it comes directly to my inbox.


As costs keep rising, we have ambitious plans for the future to gain efficiencies for our team and scale IZOLA. Over the past two years, we've managed a project that literally spans the globe to develop technology and processes to increase production AND simultaneously improve quality. It's super exciting because it maximizes value for our team, our guests and our communities.

 

Want to help? Join Jenny and me this Tuesday (11/19) at 4:30 for an investor call. We'll share our plans for automation at IZOLA Main, including material handling (pictured below). It will not only impact (lower) our costs, but will also support our environmental justice mission by keeping thousands of pounds of packaging from ever being created. IZOLA Main is an ambitious project that will create 50 high-quality jobs in City Heights and provide the high-quality dough to allow IZOLA to develop new distribution channels (and share the IZOLA experience with more people), and it will take all of us to make it a reality.

(Team members, guests, community members, city and county staff, elected officials).

Join us!


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RSVP for our call, drop by for a minute, and say hi or stay the whole time. It's a fun time and super casual. We'll share with you where we've been, our plans for the future, and why we are raising over $3M next year.

 

Never invested before? Not to worry! It's super simple.

 

*Please only invest an amount you would feel comfortable losing. Investing in private businesses involves risk. Though potential returns are designed to reflect that risk, there is a possibility that you will lose your entire investment.


IZOLA IN THE NEWS


Thanks to San Diego County for providing regulations to improve transparency/communication for background checks used in hiring decisions. Background checks can be a significant barrier to opportunity for many (we do not use them at IZOLA). And thanks to Channel 10 for featuring IZOLA and our justice-based mission on the news last night. We're on a mission to change the way Americans think about sourdough and croissants through our focus on hospitality and our justice-centered lens - gender justice, LGBTQIA+, economic, environmental and racial justice.

 

We're proud of our diverse team at IZOLA. But even more proud to report that our leadership team is comprised of 67% women, 44% BIPOC, 22% LGBTQIA+, and 22% Restorative Justice.

 

 Check out the Channel 10 news piece here to meet two of our star front-of-house team members, Jennifer and Adrian. 

 Congratulations to Jennifer and Adrian for being outstanding performers at Izola and for having the courage to share their journeys and inspire our community at large. Thank you both for stepping forward to show great success stories and support positive change in our community.


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IZOLA AT YOUR THANKSGIVING TABLE

 

Can you believe it!? Thanksgiving is just around the corner. We are always so honored when folks choose to have IZOLA at their Thanksgiving table.

 

If you'd like to serve a warm loaf of Lao Gan Ma Gruyere, or flaky, buttery croissants at your dinner table, pre-orders will open on Thursday November 21 for Wednesday November 27 pickups!

 

HOLIDAY HOURS

Tuesday 11/26: 7a - 2p

Wednesday 11/27: 7a-2p

Thanksgiving: CLOSED

Friday 11/29: 7a-2p

Saturday 11/30: 7a-2p (live music!)

Sunday 12/1: 7a-2p


IZOLA LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS

 

Each Saturday from 8a-1p IZOLA becomes a space where local artists can come to share their music. Here are a few of the musicians that will be joining us this week!


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LEATEA

8-9a

 

Leatea (San Diego native Dylann Jelden) has been a musician all her life, beginning with classical violin at age 4. She began writing songs and incorporating guitar in high school. She performs regularly in San Diego. Leatea is also one of our IZOLA Music Saturday coordinators, if you would like to play, please email dylann.jelden@gmail.com






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MADISON NOCON

12-1p

 

Madison Nocon is a local singer-songwriter born and raised in San Diego, CA. She got her first guitar when she was 5 and has been writing poems and music since she can remember!

Who is Izola?


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AROUND IZOLA'S TABLE


This week we've been working on installing our new IZOLA sign at the front door and I sent a sneak peak to my mom. She responded saying that Grandma Izola would be overwhelmed by seeing her name up on our wall. My mom just has this special way of pausing to reflect, remember, and appreciate the journey...And so I was reminded of my grandmother, Izola (pronounced eye-zola) Eaton, for whom our bakeshop is named after.

 

Growing up as a closeted queer kid in Kansas, I spent my teenage years feeling on edge, knowing I was the kind of different that wasn't welcome by many in my community. But at Izola's kitchen table? Everyone was welcome.

 

She would invite you in with open arms, sit you down at her kitchen table, and serve you a slice of warm cherry pie with a cup of hot Folgers coffee. It was a gathering place where folks seeking refuge, comfort, or just good conversation could come. This is why we named our bakery after my grandmother. We strive to create a space like Grandma Izola's.

 

We welcome you in with open arms. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from and who you love.

 

Welcome to IZOLA.


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(above) Oooey gooey Lao Gan Ma Gruyere. Served hot and melty to your table or to go. Emmi AOP Gruyere and a mountain of Chinese Chili Crisp. Yum, yum, Yum.



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This week, we had so much fun welcoming 20 fourth graders (!) from the Urban Discovery Academy to IZOLA. The kids gathered around the table to learn about how croissants and sourdough are made, share their culinary traditions, and eat. They each received a hot-from-the-oven croissant to enjoy, and afterwards, team member Cliff helped guide the kids through cleaning up and wiping the tables down.

 

On their behind-the-scenes tour, Colin shared all about our proofers and ovens at the Bake Bar and proper handwashing. Then, they got hands-on with egg-washing croissants. In the Dojo, Chef Lidia taught us how we get all that butter into 96 layers in each croissant, and everyone helped roll a croissant!

 

It was a joy to share with each of these children. Big thanks to Miss Abbey for creating this learning opportunity for her class and for all the work you do to shape the young minds of our future.


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JOIN US TOMORROW

 

If you want to learn more about how you could help support IZOLA's justice-based mission, join Jenny and me tomorrow on Google Meet.

 

We aim to change the way America thinks about croissants and sourdough. The IZOLA way. Hot from the oven, great hospitality, amazing quality. Justice. Investing in American Green Manufacturing. Creating careers. Improving the quality of our bread and croissants. Planning to open 12 IZOLAs in SoCal. Hard? Yes. But it is so exciting to invest in American manufacturing and our community.

 

Believe in what we do? Join us.

 

To learn more, RSVP for our call, drop by for a minute, and say hi or stay the whole time. It's a fun time and super casual. We'll share with you where we've been, our plans for the future, and why we are raising over $3M next year.

 

Never invested before? Not to worry! It's super simple.

 

*Please only invest an amount you would feel comfortable losing. Investing in private businesses involves risk. Though potential returns are designed to reflect that risk, there is a possibility that you will lose your entire investment.


IZOLA LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS

 

Each Saturday from 8a-1p IZOLA becomes a space where local artists can come to share their music. Here are a few of the musicians that will be joining us this week!


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LEATEA

8-9a

 

Leatea (San Diego native Dylann Jelden) has been a musician all her life, beginning with classical violin at age 4. She began writing songs and incorporating guitar in high school. She performs regularly in San Diego.








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LILIA ROSE

11a-12p

 

Lilia Rose is a local singer- songwriter in San Diego. Her sound is melodic and warm. Some of her influences are Fleetwood Mac, Alanis Moorisette, and Vance Joy. Lilia is excited to share more of her music with others.





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BRIANNA GRACE

12-1p

 

Brianna Grace is a San Diego-based dreamer, nature lover, and musician. Often compared to Alanis Morrissette, Stevie Nicks, and Jewel, Brianna has a unique yet nostalgic americana/rock sound.



96 Layers and 4 Bars of Chocolate


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IZOLA'S CHOCOLATE CROISSANT


What has 96 layers of butter from Normandy and 4 full bars of Valrhona dark chocolate?

The IZOLA Chocolate Croissant...decadent....delightful.

Psst, if you really want to sound like an insider, ask for a "CCX!" That's the name we use behind the scenes.

 

When we first developed our chocolate croissant we knew we wanted it to have the same lofty, pillowy honeycomb structure of our traditional croissant, paired with a shatteringly crisp crunch, and end to end chocolate. So in true IZOLA fashion, we tested and tested and then tested some more.

 

We tried different methods of encasing the chocolate, different shapes of chocolate and different amounts of chocolate. What we learned is that there would be a fine line we had to walk with the amount of chocolate we used. The more the better in our opinion, but more chocolate also meant more weight for the croissant lamination to fight up against, or in other words the croissant would not be able to take on its lofty structure.


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And, of course, we tested many, many different brands of chocolate and different cocoa percentages, from milk chocolate to dark chocolate. The hands-down winner through our blind taste tests was Valrhona dark chocolate with 48% cocoa content. And not only did they come out on top flavor-wise, but they're a Certified B Corp, determined to make a difference in the cocoa industry. Yay Valrhona!

 

All of Valrhona's cocoa beans are traceable back to the original producer - they know who harvested them and that they were produced in conditions that met their strict standards. They work with their producers to improve living conditions, help their children access education, and support them in adopting sustainable farming practices.

 

Join us for a chocolate croissant...we serve everything hot from the oven from

7a - 2p every Tuesday through Sunday.


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There is no more enjoyable combination for me than a warm chocolate croissant and a hot cappuccino crafted from beans from the Verao co-op in Brazil and grass-fed milk. But if you're a true chocolate aficionado, I invite you to enjoy our Valrhona Double Mocha...made with Valrhona cocoa and very lightly sweetened with organic sugar.

 

Or for brunch, our croissants pair so well with our Bortolomiol Prosecco - the bubbly prosecco serves as a crisp accompaniment to the buttery goodness of an IZOLA croissant.


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ENDS IN 7 WEEKS!  

If you've considered investing in IZOLA through our equity raise, our current early bird perk ends in 7 short weeks! You can find details on the share price discount here, under the "PERKS" section.

 

If you'd like to learn more about why we're raising funds and how the equity raise works, join Jenny and me next Thursday, November 7th, at 6:30p PST on Google Meet for an investor conversation.

 

We'll share why we started IZOLA at the start of a global pandemic, what has kept us going each day as our little project has grown to over 40 employees, and what our vision is for the future.

 

We aim to change the way America thinks about croissants and sourdough. The IZOLA way. Hot from the oven, great hospitality, amazing quality. Justice. Investing in American Green Manufacturing. Creating careers. Improving the quality of our bread and croissants. Planning to open 12 IZOLAs in SoCal. Hard? Yes. But it is so exciting to invest in American manufacturing and our community.

 

Believe in what we do? Join us.

 

To learn more, RSVP for our call, drop by for a minute, and say hi or stay the whole time. It's a fun time and super casual. We'll share with you where we've been, our plans for the future, and why we are raising over $3M next year.

 

Never invested before? Not to worry! It's super simple.

 

*Please only invest an amount you would feel comfortable losing. Investing in private businesses involves risk. Though potential returns are designed to reflect that risk, there is a possibility that you will lose your entire investment.


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