YEP, WE TESTED THAT TOO... When Jenny and I started IZOLA three years ago, neither of us had any professional baking experience. Jenny had spent her entire career in e-commerce. I have a degree in civil engineering but then after graduation I called my folks and said I was going to become a photographer instead - thanks Mom and Dad for telling me I could do anything! So you could say our industries and expertise couldn't have been further from baking! But with my engineering background and Jenny's passion for great food, we began with the croissant recipe on the side of the flour bag and worked our way to a decent croissant. We would test, taste and refine, then test, taste and refine some more until we finally could make a good croissant. And we continued to strive to make it better each time by changing just one element - whether it was the type of butter we used, the ideal temperature the dough should be when we handled it, or the type of flour. So of course when it came to what chocolate we were going to use for our chocolate croissants, we tested it! We tested 5 different brands and it was clear that we were loving the pureness of flavor and the silky mouthfeel that Valrhona chocolate provided. Valrhona not only makes some of the best chocolate in the world, they align with our environmental and economic justice goals - as a Certified B Corp, Valrhona creates lasting partnerships with their cocoa farmers, ensuring fair pay and they invest back into the local communities. After narrowing in on Valrhona we tested a total of 4 options from their line considering varying shapes and varying levels of cocoa to finally land on their dark chocolate batons with 48% cocoa. The way we roll the chocolate into the croissant and the number of batons we use were all tested too to ensure a great balance of flavor while not adversely affecting the loft of the croissant. We are serving our chocolate croissants hot from the oven every Thursday - Sunday from 8a-1p. Enjoy the melty chocolate in each bite, with rich chocolate flavor without being too sweet or too bitter. Pre-orders for the week are open now, or just pop on by. Have a pre-order and in a hurry? No problem! Double park downstairs and call us at (619) 289-8358, we'll run your order down to you with a smile. We call it IZOLA DRIVE-BY.
WHY INVEST IN IZOLA? We have the opportunity to create high quality jobs, zero-emission manufacturing, increase IZOLA production 20x, and positively impact the San Diego region for decades to come. To find out more, join Jenny and me next Tuesday, September 26th at 7p on Google Meet for our next Investor Conversation. We will share why we are asking you, the IZOLA community, to join us in our $3.5M equity raise, where with a $1k investment, you can become an owner in IZOLA. IZOLA is powered by our community. Your dedication to this movement is what allows IZOLA to invest in American Manufacturing, create living wage jobs and expand IZOLA across Southern California. If you're ready to join us now, chip in here:
Or join us at our online event to learn more:
*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.
HIP HIP HOORAY!
This week, we jazzed up the power situation at the bake shop. Until now, we've been doing a bit of a juggling act with our power supply, making sure the laundry and ovens weren't competing for electricity or that every appliance was in its designated spot to avoid overloading. Some of you might have experienced the fallout when our power decided to take a nap during service, taking all of our comms down with it – not fun, right? It's been a real productivity killer for the team, but now we're absolutely thrilled to have power to spare! Big shoutout to Zaki and Dean from Mike Electric, the IZOLA team, our fantastic guests, and our awesome investors who made this power upgrade possible. Thanks a million!
IZOLA MUSIC SATURDAY Every Saturday IZOLA hosts live music - come see how diverse and talented our San Diego community is. We post our full musical line-up every Friday night on Instagram - follow us here! Here are a few of the performers that will be at the bakeshop this weekend.