PERFECTION
Wow, wow, wow! I'm still in awe of the beauty of pastry...The lamination process (the process of layering butter and dough) is a practice in precision. This is why we call the croissant production room the Dojo - a dojo is a sacred space where one practices a martial art, and we very much view the work that our Dojo team does as an art. And we mix a lot of dough in this room too, ha!
Thanks to Dojo team member Daniela for her photo of our Tahitian Vanilla Knots before they head into the freezer for the night. You can see specks of vanilla caviar throughout - the process begins with a multi-day steeping process with organic milk and whole Tahitian Vanilla beans. The result? A dough infused throughout with the sweet and floral scent of Tahitian vanilla.
Pre-order now, or just pop on by. We're baking hot from the oven every Tuesday - Sunday, from 7a-2p.
COSTS
As of today, we will be increasing our retail prices. This is something that Jenny and I have considered for months now, but for the longevity of IZOLA, we know it is the right decision. I know that for some, our current prices already feel too high, but we'd like to pull the curtain back and share with you all what it takes to deliver our vision of a hot-from-the-oven artisan croissant.
Since the last time we increased prices in 2022:
Labor costs have increased 15%
Our rent cost has doubled
We've seen an average increase of 23% in our food costs
Each and every croissant or sourdough that you enjoy has been made lovingly, by hand, within the walls of our bakeshop on Island Avenue. We don't take any shortcuts - we still take 4 days to make a croissant, 3 days for a loaf sourdough. We use only the best tasting ingredients, real food: butter from Normandy, organic milk, fresh vegetables, AOP cheese, organic flour milled in Utah, whole olives.
On bake day, our inspiring Bake team fires up the ovens and bakes precisely scheduled smaller batches all morning while we're open so that we can serve everything hot from the oven.
Then the baton (or croissant in this case!) is passed to our Front of House team, where they provide Michelin-level hospitality to our guests.
All in all, it takes a team of 47 to do what we do, and we're so proud of each and every one of them. And we want to pay them a living wage.
Questions? Hit reply on this email - it comes directly to my inbox.
As costs keep rising, we have ambitious plans for the future to gain efficiencies for our team and scale IZOLA. Over the past two years, we've managed a project that literally spans the globe to develop technology and processes to increase production AND simultaneously improve quality. It's super exciting because it maximizes value for our team, our guests and our communities.
Want to help? Join Jenny and me this Tuesday (11/19) at 4:30 for an investor call. We'll share our plans for automation at IZOLA Main, including material handling (pictured below). It will not only impact (lower) our costs, but will also support our environmental justice mission by keeping thousands of pounds of packaging from ever being created. IZOLA Main is an ambitious project that will create 50 high-quality jobs in City Heights and provide the high-quality dough to allow IZOLA to develop new distribution channels (and share the IZOLA experience with more people), and it will take all of us to make it a reality.
(Team members, guests, community members, city and county staff, elected officials).
Join us!
RSVP for our call, drop by for a minute, and say hi or stay the whole time. It's a fun time and super casual. We'll share with you where we've been, our plans for the future, and why we are raising over $3M next year.
Never invested before? Not to worry! It's super simple.
*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.
IZOLA IN THE NEWS
Thanks to San Diego County for providing regulations to improve transparency/communication for background checks used in hiring decisions. Background checks can be a significant barrier to opportunity for many (we do not use them at IZOLA). And thanks to Channel 10 for featuring IZOLA and our justice-based mission on the news last night. We're on a mission to change the way Americans think about sourdough and croissants through our focus on hospitality and our justice-centered lens - gender justice, LGBTQIA+, economic, environmental and racial justice.
We're proud of our diverse team at IZOLA. But even more proud to report that our leadership team is comprised of 67% women, 44% BIPOC, 22% LGBTQIA+, and 22% Restorative Justice.
Check out the Channel 10 news piece here to meet two of our star front-of-house team members, Jennifer and Adrian.
Congratulations to Jennifer and Adrian for being outstanding performers at Izola and for having the courage to share their journeys and inspire our community at large. Thank you both for stepping forward to show great success stories and support positive change in our community.
IZOLA AT YOUR THANKSGIVING TABLE
Can you believe it!? Thanksgiving is just around the corner. We are always so honored when folks choose to have IZOLA at their Thanksgiving table.
If you'd like to serve a warm loaf of Lao Gan Ma Gruyere, or flaky, buttery croissants at your dinner table, pre-orders will open on Thursday November 21 for Wednesday November 27 pickups!
HOLIDAY HOURS
Tuesday 11/26: 7a - 2p
Wednesday 11/27: 7a-2p
Thanksgiving: CLOSED
Friday 11/29: 7a-2p
Saturday 11/30: 7a-2p (live music!)
Sunday 12/1: 7a-2p
IZOLA LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS
Each Saturday from 8a-1p IZOLA becomes a space where local artists can come to share their music. Here are a few of the musicians that will be joining us this week!
LEATEA
8-9a
Leatea (San Diego native Dylann Jelden) has been a musician all her life, beginning with classical violin at age 4. She began writing songs and incorporating guitar in high school. She performs regularly in San Diego. Leatea is also one of our IZOLA Music Saturday coordinators, if you would like to play, please email dylann.jelden@gmail.com
MADISON NOCON
12-1p
Madison Nocon is a local singer-songwriter born and raised in San Diego, CA. She got her first guitar when she was 5 and has been writing poems and music since she can remember!
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