A CLASSIC
Chef Lidia made a couple of trays of our classic 96 layer croissant this week for a test we're running and the beauty of the croissants literally stopped me in my tracks. Beurre D'Isigny, the butter we source from the hills of Normandy, helps to create great flavor but also beautiful lamination. We brush organic eggs on each croissant, which provide a deep, rich color and a satisfying shattering crisp when you bite into the croissant.
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They are an engineering marvel with their 96 individual layers of butter...and it takes true artistry to create them. Well done Chefs Lidia and Lane!
RENOVATION UPDATED (and some setbacks)
Our ovens and proofers were loaded onto the MSC Amalfi on 1/6 in the port of Sines, Portugal and are due to arrive in Los Angeles on February 4th! 🎉
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We continue to develop ways to provide a more delightful experience at the bakeshop - and one of the key improvements we'd like to make is increasing production so it's easier to stop by, and more convenient to order. We've maxed out the capacity of our current equipment, so as part of our upcoming renovation we will be adding an additional stone deck oven, 2 additional croissant ovens and 3 additional proofers.
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Some folks have asked why we're importing our equipment from Spain rather than using a domestic supplier. While we would absolutely love to find a domestic partner, we must also hold true to our promise of delivering the best tasting croissants and sourdough that we can, and in this case, we have found that the best ovens for what we're creating come from Salva.
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I absolutely love the technology we have access to these days. You can follow along like we are and see where the Almafi is at this moment on Vesselfinder.com. Some fun stats:
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The ship is currently traveling at 13.1 knots (about 15 miles an hour)
It comes in at 300 meters long (3 football fields!)
Its next stop is the Panama Canal and it will take 13 days to travel there
Total gross tonnage is 95,166 (or the equivalent of 560,976,471,474 of our croissants, prior to baking)
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And now onto the setbacks...
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We are starting to receive comments back from the city from the latest round of plan review and some comments we've received back from Structural are going to set us back another 3 weeks. At the very best, we're looking at an early March re-opening. We'll continue to update you here!
SEE YA SATURDAY!
Our proofers and ovens are loaded onto the cargo ship...we've "dated" some candidates and landed on some of the most amazing manufacturing partners to help us scale...we're finalizing our new training and onboarding program so our team can hit the ground running...our IZOLA Main plans are 90% complete...what's still missing? You!
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Come hang out with us this Saturday at 9:30a on Google Meet, where we'll be sharing with you the plans for IZOLA's future and how you have the opportunity to take part through our equity raise. The resources we raise this year will determine how many jobs IZOLA creates in City Heights next year.
*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.
- Jeffrey Lamont Brown
- Jan 2, 2024
A NEW YEAR
I just can't believe another year has passed...it has flown by! As with any start-up, we have had our ups and we have had our downs. I truly believe that most of the battle is just continuing to get back up again when you fall, adding a big dollop of problem-solving and a splash of heart.
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Some of the challenges this year, CAPACITY: All year we were making croissants and sourdough at max capacity and still selling out and disappointing our guests. REGULATORY: On Oct 27th, we were required to close, pending completion of a kitchen renovation, and Jenny and I experienced one of our toughest days yet when we let go 27 of our team members (and made sure they all landed safely).
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I'm proud of what our team has been able to accomplish this year. With our October closure, we ended up being closed 21% of the year but were still able to grow our sales 37% over last year. The closure ate up our $175k net profits for the year, but I am stoked that this year we proved a path to profitability. And while we've been closed, our IZOLA CORE team has tested over one hundred new, original recipes. And let me tell you friends, there is some amazing food headed your way.
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Jenny and I focused on both the current guest experience and prepared for the future - ensuring our guests continue to be delighted by our service and food while putting the necessary pieces in place to scale. We launched a new workforce management system and found our key partners for the IZOLA Main build, including the manufacturer of our croissant production equipment, sourdough equipment, material handling, and MES (Manufacturing Equipment System) software.
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THANK YOU to each one of you for inviting IZOLA into your lives. We appreciate each guest who has shared with us when they are delighted and even more so when they are disappointed by their experience so that we have the opportunity to do better. And to each IZOLA team member who provides feedback on how we can improve IZOLA, making it a rewarding place to work, and to our friends and families who support us every step of the way, even as we sacrifice our time with them to push IZOLA forward.
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We wish you and yours a very happy new year!
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Cheers!
Jeffrey and Jenny
HAPPENING TOMORROW!
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I know we've been coming at ya for over a year now with our equity raise...our plans are bold as we expand our disruption of the American bakery experience. Join us tomorrow January 3rd at 7p on Google Meet to learn about how we're utilizing the funds raised to scale our justice-based mission and bring great-tasting, high-quality croissants, sourdough, and delight throughout San Diego County (and possibly beyond!).
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This equity raise will close on February 29th, so if you've considered investing, now is the time.
*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.
- Jeffrey Lamont Brown
- Dec 23, 2023
Our bellies are full and happy after having just had our last taste test of the year...And now Jenny and I are winding down as we get ready to spend a few days with family over the holidays.Â
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It is a very different holiday season for us this year. Normally we would have a Christmas tree decorated at the bakeshop and we'd be gearing up for a holiday party with the team for some fellowship. I loved serving hot wassail to guests and encouraging them to join me in singing the Wassail song.
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This year we are still surrounded by an amazing team and accomplishing some really exciting things, but it's a quieter holiday season here at the bakeshop...We are so appreciative of the IZOLA Core team and the hard work they've been investing into IZOLA. Thank you Jeff, Lidia, Jesus, Lane and Alejandra.
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And to the entire IZOLA Family, we wish you a very happy holiday season. We hope it's filled with lots of love and great fellowship!
RENOVATION UPDATES
With our plans finalized, we're kicking it into high gear to get the renovation started in January. We had about 15-20 subcontractors come to walk through the project. Once construction begins, we'll be running 6 days a week, 10 hours a day to reopen as soon as possible.
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Our project manager, Alejandra, has been on the phone and email non-stop working on obtaining estimates, contracts, scheduling tests and walkthroughs. This week she organized a test on a possible high-temp dishwashing machine.
If you've dined in the bakeshop before, you might have noticed that most everything we serve you with is reusable. As part of our environmental justice mission the only item that is thrown away is a small sheet of parchment paper that we line our serving trays with. We wash a thousand dishes BY HANDÂ each day. Adding a new dishwashing machine during this reno is going to allow us to work much more productively while still staying true to our environmental justice goals.
Thank you to customers Muna and Omar! They read about our testing with za'atar and came by to offer a tasting of the za'atar they bring back whenever they travel to Palestine. Here you can see a comparison of the za'atar we were using against theirs. Not only is the color richer, but the mouthfeel and flavor were on a whole other level! Yum!
OVER 500 INVESTORS!
Round 3 of our Equity Raise ended on a high note on Wednesday - we now have over 500 investors and owners of IZOLA. This truly has been a community effort and we are so grateful for the faith the IZOLA fam has placed in us...thank you for joining us on this journey!
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We did come up $33k shy of our goal - and so onto Round 4! Round 4 will be the last round in this current equity raise, ending February 29th, 2024. Once this raise closes we'll be re-assessing the offering and also re-certifying with the SEC for a new round.
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To renovate 13th Street and bring the kitchen up to commercial standards will cost over $300k alone.
IZOLA Main, our planned zero-emission dough factory in City Heights, will allow us to expand our production capacity by 20x, increase efficiency, improve food quality, create high-quality job opportunities, and empower us to open distribution channels throughout Southern California. It's a bold vision that requires $6M+ in capital to bring it to life and maximize the value to our community for decades. Learn more about our plans at our next online IZOLA Investor Conversation on January 3rd at 7p PST.
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THE RESOURCES WE RAISE THIS YEAR WILL DETERMINE IZOLA'S IMPACT NEXT YEAR.
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GROWTH. JOBS. JUSTICE.
*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.