Wholesale bakery

www.futurefinefoods.com

While working at his uncle’s bakery as a young man, Peter Zadeh always envisioned running his own business. In 1993, Peter established Ethnic Breads and ran the company with just one employee. When a product gained much popularity, Ethnic Breads jumped to six employees practically overnight to accommodate the orders – and has continued to expand.

Since then, Peter and Patricia have continually adapted to a fluid market and relied on their creativity and perseverance to not just survive, but succeed. Instead of being discouraged by their bank’s declination of a business loan, the Zadehs turned to WEV’s Small Business Loan Fund to help grow their business. They pride themselves on gaining the trust and loyalty of their customers, and connecting to the community through their delicious and unique breads.

What prompted you to go into business for yourself?   
The freedom was the first thing. I have freedom in the hours that I work and in the decisions that I make for the direction of the business. When I was younger, I worked for my uncle in Canada. He had a successful baking business there. He was so particular in the ways that he wanted to run his business, and sometimes, as a younger person with more energy, I felt “I can do this in a better, more efficient way.” But since he was the boss, and I worked for him, I had to follow him. So I always thought that one day, if I had my own business, I would do it differently. When I had enough experience, I realized the time was right, and I could start my own business. I wanted to be able to set my own goals and fulfill my own potential.

What has been your biggest business challenge?   
Gaining the trust and loyalty of my customers. 

What has been your biggest business success?   
Gaining the trust and loyalty of my customers! 

Who is your ideal customer?
Our ideal customers are restaurants, delis, cafes, and hotels that have a good reputation and are easy to communicate with. They’re also businesses with long term plans and committed owners and employees. Ideal customers are always friendly when we approach or call them, and pay on time! They are flexible and we can work together to make it work. 

What has been the biggest surprise about owning a business?   
It is truly a 24 hour, year-round commitment. It is very similar to being a parent. You can never forget your responsibilities.

How do you juggle all the pieces of your life (family/work/self/volunteering) to make it all come together?  
Discipline is the key. Knowing when to stop and switch hats. You have to keep everything in balance. Sometimes we will be at home cooking and we start talking about business and totally lose focus of what we are doing. We have to remind ourselves to keep that conversation for tomorrow when we are in the office. We don’t take enough vacations, but when we take them we put the phones away or transfer the line to our bakery manager, to make sure problems are solved without taking time away from my family. It’s not easy. But it gets easier as the business settles and gets on auto-pilot. What’s the point of building a good business if you end up with a broken family or without friends to share your success with?

We have also welcomed schools to the bakery. The whole classroom comes and they bake bread.  We teach the whole process from the grain to the end product. The children love that. Our children have been so involved as well. It’s important to be open to the community.  Let them see what you are doing. We donate bread to our children’s schools, the organic soup kitchen, and to the youth program at the Music and Arts Conservatory. So that’s our way to reach out to the community. 

What advice do you offer others that might want to start their own company?
My advice to anyone starting a business is to dream big (but be realistic), pay attention to details (but do not obsess over them), be patient (but not lazy), and finally, develop strong communication skills and be prepared to go the extra mile. In the end the very committed will prevail.

We’ve all heard the phrase “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” But we have a new phrase in the bakery: “if it’s not broken, make it better!” A lot of businesses just get comfortable with what they do every day, and don’t push themselves to see if they can do any better. So you end up with four bakers in the same town and they all produce the same product. You put yourself in a bad spot because the competition is always there. If you are in a business, you need to know everything about it.  There is not one baking book left that we haven’t read. The knowledge never ends.  And whatever you do, they next one you want to do better. That’s the only way not only to be successful, but to survive.

How did WEV help you to achieve your goal or dream?
When our bank, which we have done business with for years, did not believe in us or give us a loan, WEV did! They listened to our plans and were very encouraging. With the loan from WEV, our business was able to advance and grow. Because of that, we were able to build a stronger foundation, which is still in operation today. 

What does ‘success’ mean to you?
Success means to overcome all obstacles and discover your hidden potential in the process. Success is getting back on your feet every time you fall. 

What is the biggest reward you get from your business? What makes it all worthwhile?
It’s rewarding when business owners and consumers tell me how much they enjoy my products. It’s great to see how much I have connected to my community because of the business.

How do you picture you and your business in: one year? Five years? Ten years?
Our business plan for the next five years is to increase sales and expand our market by focusing on the “national market.” We will purchase our own building and move the bakery to a newer, larger facility.  

Is your business being affected by the economy right now, how? And what are you doing to deal with this challenge?
Although our business has not been affected as much as other businesses in town, we have lost some accounts simply because they have closed their doors or have chosen commercial bakeries with lower prices. To deal with the current economy and any other life (and business) challenges, one should always follow the rules of survival: adapt, compromise, and overcome.

Photography courtesy of Liz G Photography: www.lizgphotography.com