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About Us
We
often get the question asked, how did you ever end up opening
a Great Harvest Bread Co.? Well, our story is a long one,
but the journey has been worth its weight in gold.
After nearly 27 years with Levi Strauss & Co., Jeff found himself the recipient of those oft dreaded words, “You’ve been laid off…” Surprising to most was the fact that Jeff was elated with the news and eager to try his hand at running his own business, simply shifting his focus from units of denim to units of bread! After 23 years as a court reporter, Becci was happy to join Jeff and combine their love of people and cooking to open Fresno’s first Great Harvest Bread Co. franchise, located a short mile from their home. Daughter Cristina rounded out the family team for the first two years of operation and worked diligently to build the business, handling scheduling, payroll and customer service. Now that she’s married with a son of her own on the way, we are grateful she’s back to interact with the staff and customers almost daily. Son Michael was an asset during the hectic holiday roll-creation time, bringing a group of his friends to work around the huge kneading table crafting rolls throughout the night. Now that he’s away at college, his involvement comes via the consumption and sharing of breads with fellow baseball players at the University of Arizona.
Both Jeff and Becci grew up in family-oriented, close-knit Italian families where the dinner table was a communal time to share the day’s events and fresh food was a lifestyle. Bread was a staple in Becci’s life; no meal was complete without perfect bread to complement an enormous meal featuring freshly picked produce from Noni and Grampi’s abundant Santa Barbara garden. Jeff’s dear Italian father, Louie, still considers his favorite dessert to be fresh bread slathered with berry jam.
Learning the art of bread making has been a beautiful challenge since environmental temperatures affect the outcome of product on a daily basis. The huge Skiold mill sits in a room of its own at Great Harvest and its humming sounds can often be heard throughout the morning as wheat kernels are ground into soft, powdery flour each day. You can be assured you are getting the full benefit of whole grain in your diet when eating our delicious breads and sweets!
Even Oprah endorses the Great Harvest Bread Co. name, discussing
the benefits of additional daily whole-grain consumption on
her beloved afternoon talk show.
We feel overwhelmingly grateful for our unique staff comprised of more than 20 outstanding young members of our community who have chosen to come to work with us on a daily basis. Our head bread baker, Christian, has been a mainstay since our doors opened five years ago. His dedication is truly exemplary. Rita is our energetic and motivated sweets baker who has clearly established a reputation with a plethora of customers as someone who can make things happen on a creative level. Pharmaceutical reps seek Rita's expertise and together they create the perfect cupcake or cookie design to best promote the newest medication among the medical community. Gabby rounds out the baking trio and brings her calm demeanor and agreeable personality to the table and, under Rita's tutelage, creates the best cinnamon rolls in Fresno. Luca is our work horse and there is nothing he is not willing to do to lend a hand to the team. Whether he's kneading bread on the table or slicing the meats for the day's sandwich orders, he consistently gets the job done.
One thing is for certain, the customer service one receives at Great Harvest Bread Company is far from ordinary. Praises are sung daily by old and new customers alike heralding the unique ability of our talented customer-service crew to make people feel welcome and comfortable when visiting our store. Our veteran Great Harvesters, Katie and Alyssa, expertly co-manage the talented team along with Rachel and Brian following close behind them. The management team, along with Lindsay, Joelle, Jordan, Brittany and Cat, among others, manage to transform the environment inside the bakery into one that has been likened to the old television show “Cheers,” personalizing experiences and offering their gifts of ebullience and helpfulness to the customers they serve. Whether it is your intention to drop by for a free slice of bread or a sandwich in the afternoon, we hope you know we are happy you stopped in to see us.
Thank you for choosing Great Harvest Bread Co. as your everyday
bread store!
To your good health!
Why
are Whole Grains better? Click HERE
to find out!
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