The IZOLA Core team is on fire...we've added another 1 sourdough flavor and 3 croissant flavor approvals. We have 19 flavors that we're actively re-testing - many are taking about 3-4 iterations before we land on an approval or decide to add it to the cutting room floor.
So what is it that we're looking for when we're taste testing??
We eat with our eyes first! Is it beautiful? Food is art.
The texture also plays a huge role in overall experience. Does it provide a satisfying crispy crunch? There are some flavors where we're looking to add some QQ, some added chewiness. But sometimes chewiness just doesn't belong!
But of course, flavor is the ultimate guardrail. Do we get great flavor in each and every bite? Is the flavor complex, punchy, surprising...The experience should be unique from start to finish. Do we feel JOY when we take that first bite? Is this something that we'll want to eat more of, or we'll think about when we're done? If we answer yes to these questions, we're encouraged to keep pushing on.
Behind the scenes it takes a lot of coordination for our 3 team members to execute about 20+ bake tests a week. They work with Jeff, our amazing AGM, on Fridays to set the schedule for the week ahead. Detailed grocery shopping lists are compiled - from finding the most "coconutty" coconut milk on the market, to sourcing a drier feta that doesn't melt into our sourdough loaves, to testing frozen mango against fresh to see which holds up and tastes the best (frozen won!). Our entire team is up and running on Asana, a project management tool, where they can view the priority levels we've set, the schedule for the week, and it puts historical data and notes on each test we've run at all of our fingertips. It is so dynamic we were able to provide direction remotely while we were traveling too.
I know I say this every week, but we totally cannot wait to invite you back to IZOLA when we re-open because these flavors the team is developing truly rock. So immensely proud of the work they're doing here....
WOOO!!
This is fun news! IZOLA was named the #5 most popular bakery on TikTok. We are in some really amazing company...thank you everyone for sharing the IZOLA love on TikTok!
WELCOME TO THE TEAM!
Please welcome to the team, our newest team member, Jennifer Chen. 😉
I kid - Jenny was employee #2, and has been building IZOLA alongside me. But I am super stoked to announce that Jenny officially left her other full time job last week so that she can fully focus on IZOLA. She's been juggling two jobs for the past 3+ years, working 90 hour weeks, and now she gets to still work 90 hour weeks!
We've been considering this change for a little while now, but with our closure, we felt it was the right time to accelerate the transition. It might seem counterintuitive, but we want to ensure that we leverage this closure to the fullest extent - we've rolled out a new workforce management system to better serve our team, we'll be creating and launching learning modules to help scale the IZOLA culture and help our teams feel fully equipped to do their jobs well, and we're better documenting our processes. For IZOLA Main, we're building out manufacturing and tracking systems for our new production processes, and working to improve our online ordering experience.
Did you know that you can become an investor and join us on this crazywonderfulscaryfunhumanexhilarating journey called IZOLA? We aim to change the way America thinks about croissants and sourdough. The IZOLA way. Hot from the oven, great hospitality, amazing quality. Justice. And we are building the infrastructure to do that. Building the factory of the future. 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, in our community.
Believe in what we do? Join us.
Want to talk about it face to face with us? Yay! Jenny and I are hosting a conversation this Saturday, December 9th at 9a via Google meet. RSVP and 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 in the 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.