Many of you know that we have been raising equity funds for the past year. We will be closing our 3rd round next Thursday, December 20th. For folks who have considered investing in IZOLA but haven't pulled the trigger yet, now is the time.
The resources we raise this year will determine the strength of IZOLA next year.
Once you've made the decision to invest, investing is easy and takes only minutes. Just click the "Invest Now" button above, then hit the green "Invest" button on the website.
Questions? We will be hosting one last Investor Conversation before this round closes - join us on Tuesday December 19th at 4p PST on Google Meet
OUR CONTAINER IS PACKED, WE'RE READY TO GO!
Our additional proofers and ovens are ready to leave Salva's manufacturing facilities in San Sebastian and are ready to head to the Long Beach port. The above graphic is the planned packing configuration for our container.
This equipment is part of the 13th Street renovation which will allow us to triple our baking capacity. We currently have no more room to store any additional product or the oven time to bake more product. So paired with the new walk-in freezer and cooler we will be installing, when we re-open we'll be able to make more croissants and sourdough - so we're selling out less often and we can expand our hours.
We inspected this equipment in person on our recent trip to Europe. It is not often that the customer themselves make a physical final inspection of the product, but for us, it was crucial. It saved us money in the long run and most importantly, time. Some of the things we're looking for are:
Confirm the electrical output is accurate (this has been a challenge in the past costing us both time and money).
Our unique set of features are present (one was missing and they added it in same day - beats finding out Stateside and having parts shipped and figuring out how to install it ourselves!).
The ovens fit U.S. sheet pan sizes and the custom shelf heights are accurate (another challenge we've faced previously, our croissants are much taller than standard and we made some slight adjustments in person).
You don't know what you don't know...As we inspect in person, we are able to consider potential issues that we might not consider doing this remotely. For example, our proofers were sized to fit our rolling racks. But once we were in person looking at the proofer and seeing the entry point to the proofer, we realized we needed to check how far inset the wheels on our proofers are to make sure they could clear the proofer as they rotate. We discovered they wouldn't clear, and so we were able to create a solution proactively, rather than realizing this just as we're preparing to re-open and scurrying for a solution.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA IZOLA
This Saturday would have been my grandmother Izola's 110th birthday. We all miss her so much, but she not only lives on in what we're creating here at IZOLA, but within each of the lives she touched.
I named the bakery after her in honor of the impact she had on my upbringing. Growing up as a queer kid in a small farm town in the 1970s was challenging for me. I wouldn't be the person I am today without her choosing to do the hard thing and setting me straight when I needed it, being a north star, and showing me I was safe and loved.
I also wanted our bakery guests to be treated the way Grandma Izola treated everyone. Her door was always open - whether you were family, a friend or a stranger, she would welcome you in, serve you a hot cup of Folgers coffee and a slice of cherry pie paired with great fellowship.
Happy birthday Grams.