Posted on Wed, Aug 04, 2010
Posted by Brittny Bird on August 4, 2010
Although not every fruit, vegetable and grain is ready this month, August is a perfect time to celebrate the harvest. If you have your own garden, you have enjoyed the fruits of your labor all summer long. Even the produce in the grocery store
and farmer’s markets are booming with freshness. We love fresh ingredients and this month we celebrate our key fresh ingredient -- wheat!
Appropriately named the Golden Triangle, the high plains of Montana produce some of the world’s best bread baking wheat. The cold winters rid the wheat of bugs and disease. The hot, arid summers give the wheat extra protein. Each fall, we test scores of wheat lots to make sure our bakeries get only the wheat that bakes the best bread. Our relationship with local farmers gives us the first pick of the harvest.
After wheat has been picked it is shipped to each b
akery where it is milled fresh everyday! The flour is used within 48 hours so it keeps all the nutrients found in the original grain. That is the Great Harvest difference.
Have any of you watched the wheat harvest in Montana?
Posted on Thu, Jul 29, 2010
Posted by Debbie Huber on July 29, 2010
Jerry and Janet Lecy joined the Great Harvest family in 2007 
when they purchased an existing Great Harvest franchise in Lafayette, IN. They moved their family from Florida back to their roots in Indiana to become small business owners.
Listen to this three minute interview with Jerry to hear their story:
Have you been into the Lecy's Lafayette, IN, Great Harvest? Any stories to share about your experience?
Posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010
Posted July 27, 2010 by Brittny BirdYou have probably heard that whole grains are good for you but do you really know why? In addition to many great health benefits like a reduced risk of many chronic diseases,
whole grains have many vitamins and minerals that are essential for us to be healthy. They include carbohydrates, antioxidants, phytonutrients, B-vitamins, folic acid, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc, potassium and fiber.
Hopefully you have heard of a few of these but do you know why they are essential? The vitamins and minerals found in whole grains are important parts of:
- Metabolism (using energy from the foods you eat)
- Healthy immune systems
- Building bones
- Making red blood cells and carrying oxygen in the blood
- Keeping your heart beating and nerves working
- Protection against many chronic diseases
- Keeping you feeling full and satisfied for longer – weight management
- Lower cholesterol and blood pressure
- Keeping blood sugars normal
Many studies also show that eating the food is better than just taking a supplement. Our bodies know what is good for them. It’s a good thing that Great Harvest whole grains give you all these nutrients and taste phenomenal!
What are your tips for getting vitamins and minerals from food instead of supplements?
Posted on Thu, Jul 22, 2010
Posted by Mike Ferretti on July 22, 2010
When you join the Great Harvest family, you get the honor of coming to our world headquarters in beautiful (and I am not kidding) Dillon, MT for three weeks of school. Today was the beginning of our latest cycle of classes for new franchisees and we have an awesome group from all over the country.
I teach the opening session and it is called “Vision” but I am 
thinking of renaming it “Focus.” In our core business our greatest competition is the ability to stick your arm out in the bread aisle of your grocery store and pick up a loaf. We ask you to make an extra stop to come see us and tens of thousands of people do that every year.
Why? I am the only person in Great Harvest that I know of that pays for bread (all home office employees are given a pretty unlimited supply of bread and most bakery employees get a bread allowance as a job benefit) so I kind of feel qualified to answer that but probably not as much as you. I had to miss my class this morning (note to Delta…. thunder storms happen in the south in the summer….if you are going to make the busiest airport in the world live there, figure out how to work with the weather in a way that is more customer friendly than “deal with it”…Northwest never had these problems) and the woman that teaches it when I can’t is on vacation so I had to give a quality tutorial, quickly, to the next person up. I didn’t do it well because of time zone issues but it did make me come back to what matters. I have the first chance to frame the discussion of the training cycle so what is really important? Whatever it is that makes you walk by the grocery bread aisle without putting a loaf in your cart. But, what is that?
According to all of our research, I am a pretty normal customer. I buy our products because I get a tasty, fresh, whole grain product made by someone I know. Pretty simple but it requires a strong focus to do it well. Make something that tastes great, is incredibly fresh (that is why it tastes so great….), make it help me live longer and have it served by someone I can relate to. Done. I am in.
But it is so easy to get lost in the reality of our market. Everyone has an idea. There are diets du jour. People used to hate carbs. Now they hear bad things about gluten. We sell those for a living so it is important to not loose sight of what matters to you. I suspect the important things are: Taste. Freshness. Local ownership. Whole grains. Change things up but keep that focus and I will buy it…..
Is that it or am I not as typical as I think?
Posted on Tue, Jul 20, 2010
Posted by Bonnie Harry on July 20, 2010
I first experienced Great Harvest bread as a customer when the company opened its little test bakery in Dillon, MT
in the summer of 1988. When a job in customer service opened up, it was a no-brainer to apply because I already loved the whole grain products. Within a few years, I became a Field person and began traveling to all of our bakeries. Last week marked my 22nd anniversary with the company.
After covering almost 700,000 miles and visiting over 190 Great Harvest bakeries (most of them multiple times), I’m even more intrigued by this freedom-oriented, individually-owned, fresh whole-grain, neighborhood bakery concept that’s grown steadily over the past three decades. Watching the evolution from 20 stores to over 200 has been like an anthropological study. The franchise office has its own history and changing culture. Join that with all the individual characteristics of each bakery and owner, and you get a wonderful network of unique personalities and rich character.
Great Harvest has always been people-focused. This focus ranges from hiring people to work at the franchise office to approving new owners as franchisees. The most important criteria for both is that applicants are a good fit for the business. Sometimes they’re thrown by the question “If you were a car what would you be?” I think I surprised the interview panel when I replied black with Corvette Stingray. Trust me, looks can be deceiving.
Great Harvesters are really all a family, and like any family there are some that might be labeled a little “odd”, but that’s part of the fun. We all share a passion for great food and baked products we’ve made from scratch and a love for serving these delicious products up to people. The Great Harvest owners are hands-on. They relate to their employees and customers in a friendly atmosphere they’re created. It doesn’t get much better than that. At the Franchise office, we have the same “hands-on” approach to helping the bakery owners (our customers.)
Unlike the average franchise, no two Great Harvests are the same. I’ve been struck by how each store reflects the personalities of its owners, and often it’s through their crew. Their bakeries become a wonderful expression of their individuality. With customer expectation of what “franchise” means, this individual expression has its challenges. The stores are definitely not “cookie cutter”, but the whole freedom factor is a big attraction. How many opportunities are there for having support systems and a learning community… yet in the end you get to call the shots and create your own business?
Someday I’ll write a book with all the Great Harvest stories…for 
now I’ll suffice it to say it’s been a fun ride with a lot of wonderful friends. One of my college Profs told me I had an aptitude for applied cultural anthropology and I should consider a career in that field. When I step back and look at my career at Great Harvest, it seems to me that’s what I’ve done! What a fun and generous group of people to hang out with for all these years.
How about your organization? What would a cultural anthropologist say about you?
Posted on Fri, Jul 16, 2010
Posted by Misti Maisch on July 16, 2010
Like many Americans, we splurged and bought a new grill to kick off the 4th of July weekend. So needless to say, we are trying to break in that bad boy. I recently took home some Great Harvest Honey Wheat dough and grilled up some pizza for dinner.
Ahhh…grilled pizza, it’s all about the crispy crust. You don’t want
to get too carried away with the marinara or else you’ll end up with a soggy pie. Grilling happens in a matter of a few minutes so you can’t overdo the cheese or else your crust will burn before the topping has melted. When it comes to grilling pizza, simplicity equals epicurean delight!
What you’ll need:
1 pound of Great Harvest dough (Honey Wheat, White, Asiago Pesto, Focaccia, or Spinach Feta.) We recommend calling your local Great Harvest bakery to ask them if they’ll set aside some dough you can purchase before you stop in.
Olive oil
Basil pesto and/or marinara
Choose one of your favorite cheeses: such as feta , gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, or parmesan
Decide on other toppings of choice such as: sweet bell peppers, Roma tomatoes, pine nuts, black or Kalamata olives, salami, pre-cooked spicy Italian sausage, red onions, etc.
First and foremost, you want to have all your toppings cooked and/or prepared before you put your dough on the grill. Like I mentioned above, grilling time for the pizza itself only takes a few minutes so that isn’t adequate time to thoroughly cook some toppings. For example, I wanted my veggies cooked so I grilled the bell pepper ahead of time so it was ready to just throw on the pizza.
Next, you want to heat up your grill to medium-high heat (approximately 350-400 degrees). Then divide your dough into 4 equal chunks which will eventually result in 4 small pizzas. Starting with your first pie, put some olive oil on a cookie sheet. Place one chunk of dough on the cookie sheet and press it flat using your finger tips. The key is to get the dough as flat as possible without tearing any holes. Once you put the dough on the grill, it will proof up so you want to start out as thin as possible. Think about a tortilla- that’s the thickness you are aiming for as you stretch, flatten, and poke with your fingers.
Next, you want to rub about a teaspoon of olive oil on the top of the dough.
Place your dough on the grill. Don’t worry if some of the edges start to slip through the grate. It will harden quickly before it all
falls through. Let the dough grill for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, flip the dough over. Immediately spread on your pesto and/or marinara. If you choose to use marinara, go easy. If you put on too much, your crust will be soggy and doughy. Then put on a very light amount of your preferred cheese along with your other toppings of choice. Close the lid and let your pizza grill for 3 to 5 minutes. Once finished, use your tongs to pull the pizza off onto your cookie sheet. It’s that easy!
My favorite is honey wheat crust with gorgonzola, mild sausage, and fresh Anjou pears. What’s your favorite pizza combination?
Posted on Tue, Jul 13, 2010
Posted by Brittny Bird on July 13, 2010
Any way you slice it, fresh bread just tastes better! At Great 
Harvest, we take freshness a step beyond ordinary. Each day our bakers mill hundreds of pounds of Montana grown hard red wheat berries. The whole wheat flour is then used within 48 hours to make bread and sweets for you. We use fresh flour for a few reasons but taste is definitely number one.
Slice for slice and loaf for loaf, Great Harvest breads are just bigger. The generous size and density is largely because of fresh ground flour. Other bakeries use dough conditioners to boost loaf volume, but this leaves the bread tasting airy and not flavorful and hearty like whole grain bread should be.
Most vitamins and minerals are afraid of light, heat and air. As soon as the grain kernel is broken or fresh vegetables are cut, vitamins and minerals start to leave. As time goes on, more and more leave. Granted eating any form of whole grains, fruit and vegetables is better than not e
ating them at all, but fresh has the best nutrition. By milling our own flour, you get superior nutrition to any other whole grain product. The fact that it taste better too, is a nice side benefit!
What is your favorite whole wheat product from Great Harvest?
Posted on Thu, Jul 08, 2010
Posted by Kate Ord on July 9, 2010
Every year I’ll buy the latest, best-selling marketing books to see if Great Harvest is on the right track. I look to see if there’s something new, exciting, or innovative being pronounced. I love that strong marketing fundamentals never go out of style!
My latest read was John Jantsch’s book “The Referral Engine.” Jantsch is also the well-known blogger/author of “Duct Tape Marketing.”
In both books he emphasizes the importance of the fundamentals for a successful business.
Big picture – there are no short cuts!
1) The product you are selling must be incredible. Why else would someone return for more? Why else would anyone whole-heartedly recommend your product?
2) Customer service must be genuine and inspired by a desire to delight customers.
3) The shopping experience must connect with the target audience’s values through all touch points – staff, products, store ambiance, displays, promotional materials, community outreach and more.
Jantsch outlines the dynamics behind referrals, and they are:
1) People are hard-wired to make referrals…it’s part of our social nature.
2) Referrals involve risk, so educating customers about the emotional and logical uniqueness of your product is important.
3) Nobody talks about a boring business.
4) Consistent excellence builds trust and referrals.
5) Delighted customers love to provide testimonials.
6) Most businesses don’t have a systematic approach to encourage referrals.
Jantsch tells readers to stop crossing their fingers and hoping all will go well. He stresses the importance of meeting people’s expectations, keeping promises, and owning up to mistakes and correcting them.
My favorite part of the book discussed a business strategy focused on employees. We’ve all worked for employers who made us feel valued and who never doubted our potential to succeed. Those are the type of employers that nurture top performers.
Jantsch recommends treating your employees like a valued 
customer because, in turn, they will represent the brand in a positive manner.
Step one: hire the right people – “find people for fit, shared values and a passion for excellence,” and then train them correctly and create standards. Every employee should understand their performance is directly tied to the generation of referrals from customers by providing over-the-top awesome products and service.
There is a cool profile in the book about New Belgium Brewing Company, the third largest craft brewer in the United States. New Belgium’s CEO Kim Jordan created an open-book approach to employee management and offers employees an ownership stake in the company after one year of employment. She educates employees about ALL aspects of the business. She’s proud of the corporate culture because employees are empowered to care about the products, the costs and each other. As a result of her “open book” policy, Jordan’s employees became less wasteful, more efficient and inspired.
I did some research on New Belgium, and it is a truly remarkable company! I especially love that the brewery is powered by wind. That definitely fits in with my values. New Belgium also produces my favorite beer “Mothership Wit” -- an organic wheat beer infused with coriander. It tastes amazing, and I know the ingredients are excellent and inventive. My husband and I always make a special stop at the Good Food Store in Missoula, MT (a mere 175 miles away) for our favorite brew. I also proudly serve it and recommend it to friends.
This is referral marketing 101 – I find an interesting product, I try it and it exceeds my expectation, I now actively seek it out and tell others about it, and I feel the company shares my values and the values of my friends. Did I mention the product is a bargain? No. Because it isn’t. It’s priced as I feel it should be…as a premium, high-quality, enjoyable product. .
This brings me to the last take away from this outstanding book. People are not incredibly motivated to refer a business on price comparison, in fact prospects often anticipate paying more for a referred product. So a low-price strategy can actually reduce referrals.
Mothership Wit is not the least expensive micro-brew beer in the grocery store, but I just happen to think it’s a
cut above in taste and quality.
Similarly, Great Harvest breads and sweets are not priced to compete with Wonderbread and Hostess Ding Dongs for the same reason. Great Harvest attracts customers who LOVE the taste of scratch-made bread made with the freshest ingredients.
So is there a product out there that you will go out of your way to purchase and refer to others? I mentioned New Belgium. Another company I support and refer others to consistently is Aveda.
How about you? Share your stories about businesses that delighted you and motivated you to tell others about their products and/or services!
Posted on Tue, Jul 06, 2010
Posted by Mike Ferretti on July 6, 2010
I read the news today, oh boy…..
We opened a Great Harvest store in South Pasadena, CA last winter and as we approached the big day, I saw more media coverage for it than any store I could remember. The buzz was amazing. One of the things we do for new stores is help spread the news about opening, but this was bigger than normal. And we are talking Los Angeles. Not Bluefield, West Virginia. In LA, you are competing with Lindsay and Brangelina for attention. To get some is a big deal. What was going on?
About a lucky (wo)man that made the grade.
The answer was actually pretty simple. As with most things in
life, the whole thing was driven by someone that cared, had an incredible story and an undying passion for what was going on.
And though the news was rather sad
Our bakery owners in South Pasadena, Patricia and Chris Diaz, went through more to get their store open than any other couple I have seen in my time in Great Harvest. Not many people would have had the drive to see that store through to opening. I admitted to our opening training team a couple of times I would have quit. Not Patricia and Chris. They kept moving forward against strong odds. That is a wow 
statement for me.
Well I just had to laugh
Then the day came. The store opened. I always call new stores on opening day to congratulate them but this store was so busy I got nothing. Just an answering machine. Move over Miley. Patricia and Chris were in town.
I saw the photograph
With all this store went through to get open, I promised myself that the next time I was in the LA area, I would go see them. I wanted to thank them in person for not giving up on their dream and to just see what the vibe was all about….
One of the hardest things I do is figure out when I can spend time in bakeries. With my dual role as location specialist and CEO I get to travel to every corner of the country. I am normally near stores. I am also normally being pulled home to be a dad or husband. Balancing that is hard and I rarely get it right. When I have the time to spend an extra day, like I did this week in the LA area, I do so. When I have to get home so the 18 year old isn’t doing what I did at age 18 when both mom and dad were out of town, like happened a couple of weeks ago when I was in Michigan, I don’t.
For me, spending time in bakeries is good. I always get something out of the visit that makes me a better CEO. This week, in addition to visiting Pasadena, I arranged a trip in August to our Thousand Oaks store and went to our Temecula store. I got some quality time in two stores and connected with a third. Some things I saw this week were awesome. The breakfast sandwiches in Temecula are incredible and will be tested soon to see if we can do them in other stores. But, selfishly, I got to read the news today. And I did it in LA with a good visit to a couple of really exciting stores…..Oh boy.
I am not even a Beatles fan but that song...
Thanks for singing along!
Posted on Fri, Jul 02, 2010
Posted by Kayla Conner on July 2, 2010
For those who read this blog regularly, you know about our "One Day, One Dollar, One Goal...to Find a Cure" campaign recently held in bakeries all across the country in memory of a former Great Harvest owner, Mauri Booton. This campaign focused on raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through their Team in Training program to support Mauri's wife, Mary, in her efforts for the San Diego Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon.
The "One Day, One Dollar, One Goal" campaign was a huge success on every level. We sailed past the original goal of $35,000 to help Mary cross the $50,000 mark. In addition, $5000 dollars was also raised to fund two memorial scholarships in honor of Mauri.
The generosity was overwhelming and Mary was the number two 
fundraiser in the nation for this event. The accomplishment was acknowledged at the Top Fundraising Dinner on the Friday night before the event, and of all things, the award was in the form of a gold record! It couldn't have been more perfect to honor Mauri, who inspired us all with his passion for music.
Along this journey, we learned that if Mary crossed the $50,000 mark there would also be a research grant designated in honor of Mauri, so that became a goal as well. At the Inspiration Dinner the night before the race, Mary was presented with another beautiful award and information about the research grant. It was an extremely proud moment that she shares with everyone who contributed to the campaign.
Mike Ferretti (Great Harvest's CEO), Jill Morrill, Mary and I had an 
amazing day together during the race. I've never participated in anything like this in my life, and at age 50, I'm still in a bit of shock that I committed to do something so out of my comfort zone. But there were so many good friends who supported me during my training and who believed I could...and that made all the difference.
I can't begin to describe the emotions as we crossed the finish line. This event raised $12,000,000 for cancer research. And, the importance of that was never more obvious than the morning of the race as we took off through the neighborhoods of San Diego. Along the course, we were met by cheering crowds and all the encouragement we needed, but what stood out the most were the simple hand-made signs that said "Thank you! From a cancer survivor."
I wanted to share their thanks with each of you... because it 
belongs to every customer, bakery owner, employee, and vendor that supported this campaign. As our friend Jill says, "It takes a village." Well, this is a pretty amazing village we have here and, we can be so proud of what we've done together.
Have you ever focused on a fundraising effort yourself that was met with overwhelming generosity?