Monday was my first day back at work, and also the first scheduled Sour Flour meeting. I’ve just recently gotten back from vacation, and just now going through the motions of figuring out how I want to be operating on a regular basis. We started the meeting off with some dinner, and kept things pretty informal.
The most important thing we talked about was what it is exactly that Sour Flour is trying to do. That question has always been difficult for me, and have had difficulty getting more specific about my goals. Sour Flour’s main objective is to develop the community of home bakers. We need to increase the number of home bakers, we need to train people how to make good bread, and we need to supply people with what they need to keep things fun, simple, and satisfying.
The first goal when I started getting into this bread business was to give away 1000 free loaves of bread. Although we are now more than 1/3 of the way there, a new goal has developed: to give away 100 Blarf Babies. Blarf is my sourdough starter, and a Blarf Baby given to a new home baker to make all of their breads out of. Rather than just trying to give away 1000 free loaves of bread, I’m trying to have 100 people give away 1000 free loaves of bread.
In the meeting we came up with a few projects so that we could begin to move forward on several fronts:
Business Plan – This is probably the most important next step. I have been talking with people for several months now about my ideas, but I have never been able to put everything down on paper. The Business Plan is not only necessary to raise money, but to clarify for all of us what exactly Sour Flour is doing. As a next step, Rachel is going to begin to write her view what I have explained of my vision, and I was going to crunch some theoretical numbers of what we could accomplish. The Business Plan will continually be evolving, but it is time to at least get a working document to build upon.
Website – The website will be used both as a form of communication to everyone helping out with Sour Flour, and as a resource for those interested in learning about bread. Rachel will be compiling a list of other bread related sites, as there is already an enormous amount of information available out there. I have already set up a photos area, and will be creating the Blarf Family Tree and an ongoing list of all bread’s we have made so far.
Formulas – Eventually we want to set up a system that keeps track of, and can create new bread formulas. For the time being, I am trying to simplify the process and simply have one main formula to make good, simple sourdough bread. This Master Formula will change with time, and will possibly need to be adjusted for extreme conditions (very inactive starter, hot weather, limited time schedule), but will be a starting point for beginners.
Legal – There are quite a few legal steps to take, so we starting to research exactly what is required. Anh-Thu is working on getting us a Ficticious Business Name, which is necessary to setup a bank account and also needed for other steps in the process. Eventually we will be working on getting our Tax ID, Seller’s Permit, Insurance, Food Permit, and whatever else we need.
In addition to all the business of bread, we can’t forget about actually making bread. Both Rachel and Anh-Thu have been given homework assignments to make specific breads.
We will be meeting again next Monday, August 10th at 7:30 at my house (2277 Bryant) for dinner and to talk bread. All are welcome to join.