Wow...what a ride so far. We just finished our fourth week here at IZOLA Island, and today we had a line out to the street and beyond. I have to say that even as we stumble and work to find our way to serve everyone, our community responded back to us with unfailing grace and support. Even after waiting 30 minutes for coffee, people wouldn't take their money back...I don't know what we did to earn it, but we are grateful.
And then when I look at the collection of photos of our team, I am even more humbled. They put their heart and soul in each day, all in the service of creating delight for you, our customers.
We're working to improve each day and look forward to experiencing this journey with each of you as we laugh with you, cry with you, and have true fellowship here over bread, butter and coffee.
We are now open every Tuesday - Saturday, 7a-2p.
Join us at 1429 Island Avenue in the East Village. Pre-orders are open now! For IZOLA Drive By, just park on the street, give us a call at 619-289-8358 and
we'll run your croissant and cappuccino out to you!
IZOLA 1429 ISLAND 5:07am
NEW INVESTOR CONVO....MONDAY
Join Jenny and me this Monday at 6:30p on Google Meet for a live conversation about IZOLA Future and our new capital campaign.
We'll share with you why we're raising capital to expand IZOLA's production capabilities, improve our IT, and expand our impact. Our factory project in City Heights is well underway, we submitted our 186 page architectural and engineering plan set to the city. We plan to begin construction in about 6 months. This project will provide up to a 20x increase in our production capacity AND improve our quality. Additionally we're expanding our IT capabilities to better serve our customers. And we're taking action on our 5 areas of social justice, including economic, LGBTQIA+, environmental, gender, and racial justice.
The conversation will be super informal - come with questions, come in your jammies, call in while you're making dinner, anything goes! We look forward to chatting with you!
The early bird discount ends in less than 2 weeks on July 31st. Please visit our Microventures page for all the details.
*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.
WOW, JUST WOW...
After 7 months, 3 weeks and 5 days closed, man oh man has it been a pure delight to have you all back at the bake shop! We've missed your smiling faces, your kindness, and the abundance of joy you bring to our space and to the team. Thank you.
Our "soft open" didn't stay soft for long...it's been a bit of a whirlwind since we officially reopened our doors last Tuesday. Our team continues to shine, providing IZOLA hospitality and kindness to our guests, hustling to learn and grow every day. Our weekdays are as big as the weekends we used to do at 13th, and this new team is killing it in only their 2nd week.
For folks who have come by and we've been sold out, or your order has been incorrect or delayed - thank you for your grace. We learn from each mistake as we strive to elevate your experience. We'll likely continue to sell out over the next couple of weeks as we closely manage how hard we push our teams. They're scaling up each and every day, but this is a marathon, and we take the long view. We're pushing each day to do better than we did yesterday.
We're currently open Tuesday - Friday, from 7a-2p, but as soon as next week we may be able to open our doors on Saturday as well. (We'll announce it here 1st). IZOLA DRIVE BY is still available if you have a pre-order! Just double park and give us a ring at 619-289-8358 and we'll run your order out to ya with a smile.
For the month of July we'll have our new flavor drops available:
Our Hibiscus Tequila Knot
A luxurious braided croissant with whole Tahitian vanilla beans steeped into the milk, then enrobed in a glaze spiked with hibiscus, tequila, mint, pineapple, jalapeño and lemon. Topped with candied lime and jalapeño and freshly grated lime zest.
Cherry Parmesan Sourdough
Packed with huge chunks of parmesan reggiano and dried cherries. Our parmesan reggiano is crafted using cows milk from Italian regions including Parma and Bologna and creates melty pockets of umami flavor bombs (weighing in at over a third of a pound of parmesan per loaf!). Paired with the sweetness and tartness of the dried Montmorency cherries, our Cherry Parmesan Sourdough is a sweet and salty adventure.
JOIN US
We're raising capital to expand IZOLA's production capabilities, improve our IT, and expand our impact. Our factory project in City Heights is well underway, we submitted our 180 page architectural and engineering plan set to the city last week, we have a PRJ number! We plan to begin construction in about 6 months. This project will provide up to a 20x increase in our production capacity + improve our quality. Additionally we're expanding our IT capabilities to better serve our customers. And we're taking action on our 5 areas of social justice, including economic, LGBTQIA+, environmental, gender, and racial justice.
If you'd like to join us on this journey, our new capital campaign is live and we are offering an early bird discount. Please visit our Microventures page for all the details.
*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.
A NEW DAY
I know, I know...how could we have even MORE news to share after our epically long update yesterday? Well...I think you'll be excited for this latest update...
Today we quietly reopened our doors at IZOLA Island. We've been very intentional with our reopening plans, from an 8-day long training with our Front of House team, to holding mock events so they and our Bake team could gain hands on practice, to opening on a Tuesday completely unannounced.
I hope you'll forgive us for the secrecy as we try to do everything in our control to provide a supportive learning environment for our team. But the cat is out of the bag, so we felt compelled to share this update with our dearest supporters.
We cannot wait to see you at the new bakeshop. And we thank you in advance for your kindness and grace for our inaugural IZOLA Island team as they find their footing in the new space, with new process and new teammates.
For now, we'll be open Tuesday - Friday, from 7a-2p. We will remain closed for the weekend until our teams are ready to handle the increased production and increased traffic. Thank you for providing them the space to flourish!
MORE BIG NEWS...
And why stop at just one big announcement when two is twice as exciting??
Today we also re-opened our equity raise!!
For the first $500,000 raised or up until 11:59 PM PST on July 31, 2024, the Price Per Unit will be $1.80 - a discount off of our previous unit price...We are sharing this opportunity first with you, our IZOLA investors and community.
See the full details, or invest here.
*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.
OK...ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT...
Alright I promise, this is the last big announcement for tonight!
This week we officially submitted our plans to the city for IZOLA Main!!
Wow...has this been an epic adventure so far. We have been working on the plans for our new zero-emission manufacturing facility and bake shop, IZOLA Main, for over a year now. Located in the heart of City Heights, we'll be dough production capacity by 20x, over 30 purpose-filled careers and investing in an underserved community.
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 so exciting to invest in American manufacturing and in our community.
Thank you to Carlos and Barb at HELEO Architecture + Design for your incredible work, passion, and support.