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Danny Gabriner knows that growing a business is a lot like baking the perfect loaf of bread. You need to be willing to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and keep a watchful eye as your product takes shape.
When Danny, a former computer geek, decided several years ago that he wanted to shift gears and start Sour Flour, a bread business, he rolled up his sleeves and then turned to JFCS’ Small Business Loan Program for assistance. “I was always interested in food and San Francisco’s culture,” says Danny “and I wanted to create the best naturally fermented, handmade bread I could and teach others how to do it.”
JFCS’ Small Business Loan Program nurtured Danny’s dream, not only lending monetary support, but also providing guidance and ideas every step of the way. Today, Sour Flour’s position in the marketplace is on the rise. A purveyor of high-quality, nutritious bread to retailers such as Bi-Rite, it is also attracting a growing number of bread-making students—not only at its digs in San Francisco’s Mission District gourmet ghetto, but in Chicago, where it has set up shop in the Windy City’s up-and-coming West Loop.
Danny credits his growth to the help he received from JFCS, when his business was a mere speck of flour dust. “They were great to talk to,” he says. “We discussed aspects of the business I might not have considered on my own, and they kept me focused.”
Learn more about JFCS’ Small Business Loan Program.