Are you looking for a local small business that can take advantage of some current trends?
There are a number of macro trends at play in America today that fit Great Harvest whole wheat bakeries like a glove:
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We know our wheat farmers by name.
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We support sustainable farming practices.
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We use the most natural and healthy ingredients we possibly can.
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We mill our own wheat to ensure that you get the healthiest and freshest product possible.
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We are old fashioned, do it ourselves by hand bakers.
But, the point I want to talk about is all of our stores are locally owned and operated. And there is a reason for that.
Many franchise systems are built upon the model of franchisees building empires by having as many possible locations as they can handle. We are different. We believe that the best local bakeries are run by hands-on owner operators. By definition, that means limited multi-unit ownership. It also by definition means local ownership.
Why? What is different about the whole wheat bread business? There are two main reasons.
First, milling and baking from scratch has so, so many variables in the process each and every day (climate and environmental conditions varying by the hour every day to name just a few that are impactful but not often front of mind for people not doing the baking or milling) that someone with a vested interest in success needs to be in charge. We have yet to find a better way to ensure all of those variables are managed than to have an owner operator on-site making those decisions. No one cares more than the owner.
And, local ownership really matters to consumers. Societal norms have changed. Today brand loyalty is no longer “I want my MTV.” Or “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.” Or anything you will see on Mad Men. Today, brand loyalty is more about finding congruence between our personal values and the businesses we support. That actually is a great evolution and one we respect. It is also absolutely why we have locally owned stores. There is no better way to be in touch with what matters to a community than to be a part of it.
Of course, even if your business is on-trend, the only way to succeed is to do what you do really well. That is what we see our best local Great Harvest bakery owners doing every day. These local owner operators constantly impress us.
Thanks for reading.
Ready to discover more about opening a whole wheat bakery?
