The Bread Business Blog

You most likely have heard about the glycemic index, but may be wondering what it means or how to use it to improve your own health.

The glycemic index (GI) is a number describing a specific food’s ability to raise blood sugars for every 50 grams of carbohydrate consumed in relation to ingestion of 50 grams of straight glucose. It may seem like the glycemic index would be a simple tool to aid in blood sugar control, but interpreting a GI is a lot more complex than just shooting for a low score, like in a game of golf. There are many other factors that affect your blood sugar response.

First and foremost, it is important to note that the glycemic index is based off of 50 grams of carbohydrate from a specific food — not 50 grams of that food itself.

For example, if you have heard that whole grain bread has a higher glycemic index than a candy bar—it is often overlooked that it takes about 4 oz of whole grain bread (two of our big half inch slice breads) to get 50 grams of carbohydrate whereas it only takes a 2.5 oz Mars candy bar to get those 50 grams. Clearly, it takes a lot more bread to elicit a blood sugar response that is higher than the candy bar. The actual portion size makes a huge difference on the effect a food has on blood sugar. A high glycemic index food can still be healthy if eaten as a normal or smaller portion size.

One would wonder what drew this family to the bread business?

Owning a small business can be isolating at times, especially when compared to working as part of a team for a previous employer.

New business owners may miss the ability to brainstorm and solve problems with co-workers -- people who understand the business intimately and can challenge our own assumptions.

Chamber meetings and LinkedIn groups facilitate some helpful exchanges, but it’s not quite the same as talking with someone in the same business. Needless to say, competitors aren’t too keen to brainstorm together. Finding a mentor who wants to learn all about our business and advise us personally sounds great, but is tough to implement in practice and to sustain over time.

As a whole, Great Harvest franchise owners are passionate about running strong and exciting bakeries that produce high quality and nutritious whole grain products in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Most owners embrace the lifestyle our franchise opportunities provide and wouldn’t trade it for any other career choice.

So, why are there currently 18 publicly advertised and a handful of confidential bakeries for sale? This is a common question we hear during the franchise research phase.

First, and foremost, it is important to understand that any smart business owner should have an exit strategy. At Great Harvest, we recognize that as much as we hate to see them go, at some point, it will be time for each one of our customers to move on.

It is now May and my thoughts are shifting towards starting my first raised bed vegetable garden.

My twelve year anniversary with Great Harvest is just around the corner and that has me in a reflective mood.  

 

I have never done anything in my professional life for 12 years, so I have been thinking:  What made Great Harvest different?  What kept me here when my normal career path was five and done? I always got an itch professionally around year four in previous career stops and scratched them by year six.  What has me still here and not itching? 

The answer lies in six essential elements that I found in Great Harvest. 

Great Harvest Grand Blanc bakery owner Scott Sassack had never met Lisa Hoffman. But when his children came home with a note about the kindergarten teacher’s battle with Leukemia, Scott felt he had to do something.

“Here was this woman who is 50 years old, and is told that her bone marrow transplant had failed and she probably only had two months to live. She has all these medical bills and is raising funds for a scholarship.  I didn’t know her, but it’s not about knowing the person…it’s about what the person is going through.  I just wanted to put a smile on her face.” 

In any successful retail business with a premium product like Great Harvest, sales are often driven by items you really cannot get anywhere else.  Our whole grain breads and sweets are crafted each and every day from fresh ingredients and kneaded by hand in Great Harvest bakeries all over the United States. 

Unfortunately, many of us have been affected by cancer.

Whether you have valiantly battled this terrible disease yourself or have sat by the side of a loved one in support, we all should recognize this month as National Cancer Control Month. It is a great time to take a step back and look at your life and your loved ones’ lives and see what you can do together to reduce the risks of this disease.

Although, there is no silver bullet, you can arm yourself with weapons and a shield to reduce your risk of cancer.

First, what we need to look at is the contributing factors linked to an increased incidence of cancer. Risk factors fall into two categories:  Non-Controllable & Controllable.

Non-controllable factors are those areas that put you at risk for disease and cannot be altered. This includes such risk factors as:

We hold a convention every year for our franchisees – all those people running local retail whole grain bakeries.  We move it around the country in fun, and warm, places.  The purpose of the gathering is business but we try to make it fun too.  Our franchisees work hard and if we can give them a break, we like to.