The first blog post. It feels like I'm the first person at a New Year's Eve party, nervously waiting for others to arrive. The kind of party where you don't know anyone very well, but you've heard good things about the other guests and were invited because you have a lot in common with the group. I'm hoping that as the evening progresses, I'll meet some great people and maybe even a couple future close friends. But first, I need to put on a brave face and introduce myself to the other guests as they enter.
Welcome! I'm Debbie Huber. I love great bread, nice people and authentic businesses. As a veteran employee at Great Harvest, I've met amazing small business owners and eaten a lot of whole wheat bread. I've even baked it myself, and there is not much in life that is more immediately satisfying than pulling trays of your own bread out of the oven. Except maybe watching people put butter on a steaming slice, enjoy that first bite and say "wow! Just like my grandma used to make..." or "this is whole wheat? But it tastes so good..."
I'm going to share stories with you in this blog about the people that create Great Harvest bread every day in communities around the U.S. Each bakery is independently owned and operated. If you've been to multiple Great Harvest bakeries, you've noticed that each bakery owner gets to create a beautiful small business in their own image. There are common themes that run through each Great Harvest business, like great tasting bread, but then each bakery owner adds their own unique twist along the way. And you'll see that their struggles and challenges as small business owners are not unique to the bread business.
From the comments on our Facebook fan page, I know that you also like to hear about Great Harvest bread and how to use it. Thankfully, my co-workers include many foodies (you should see what happens when we have a pot luck!) and a registered dietitian who have expertise in these areas. They will be sharing their knowledge with you and I'll let them introduce themselves as they post. Our CEO, Mike Ferretti, has been the driving force behind getting this blog started and he'll be sharing his insights as well. He's a food and wine lover too, so don't be surprised if he writes about more than just business.
That's the plan, but it's not really about us. We hope you'll leave comments so we can adapt, learn as we go and get to know you. What do you want to hear about? I'm curious to find out.
