Baking & Snack - April 2021 - 24

SUGAR BOWL BAKERY

Tom, all co-founders and advisers - who immigrated to
the United States in 1979. Refugees following the Vietnam
War, the brothers waited with their families between 6
months and two years to come to the United States.
" They had opportunities to go to other countries, but
they held out for America because they saw it as the land
of opportunity, " Mr. Feldman explained.
The Ly family re-established themselves in San
Francisco, and after working a collection of odd jobs, the
five pooled their money to buy a retail bakery called Sugar
Bowl Bakery in 1984. From that starting point, the brothers opened more corner bakeries, which they served out of
a commissary. In the 1990s, they became more ambitious
and expanded to the foodservice and hospitality sectors.
Once Sugar Bowl Bakery was discovered by one of the
nation's largest club chains, the company began transitioning to wholesale. And that's where simplicity came
into play. With thousands of SKUs to produce to support
its foodservice business, Sugar Bowl Bakery simplified
the business, cutting SKUs and opening two wholesale
baking facilities in Hayward in 2005 and 2006.
" If you look at our portfolio, we're not trying to be everything to everyone, " Mr. Feldman said. " We aim to grow
our portfolio, but we're not going to be trying to compete
in every category. We do what we do really well. "

" WE OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO
OUR EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS WHO
MADE THAT HAPPEN FOR US WITH
RELATIVELY SHORT LEAD TIMES AND
EXECUTING DURING COVID. "
Joel Feldman, Sugar Bowl Bakery

Today, Sugar Bowl Bakery focuses on five core products: Palmiers, Madeleines, Brownie Bites, Duet Bites - a
half-madeleine and half-brownie product - and Fritters.
This portfolio is sold to top national retailers representing
club stores, mass merchandisers and supermarkets across
the nation. The company's growth over the years can be
attributed to the way it lives out its values as it works with
customers and develops its products. The core products
are made with simple, high-quality ingredients. The
Palmier, in particular, is a signature item that contains
more than 2,500 layers of butter and dough.
" It's an incredibly intricate and delicate product that
we're really proud of, " Mr. Feldman said.
Sugar Bowl Bakery has emphasized being customercentric as it does business.
A bulk ingredient system dispenses flour and sugar, but minor ingredients are
added to the continuous mixer in batches.

24 Baking & Snack April 2021 / www.bakingbusiness.com

THE GEORGIA INCENTIVE FOR
ATTRACTING NEW BUSINESSES
A growing national customer base may
have driven Sugar Bowl Bakery's decision
to expand with a new facility, but a
strong labor market was priority No. 1
when deciding where that bakery should
be located. Joel Feldman, president and
chief operating officer, said the Hayward,
Calif.-based company was drawn to the
Atlanta area in large part because of the
existing manufacturing labor force but
also Georgia's Quick Start Program. This
program provides customized training
through the state's technical college
system.
" As we bring people on, Georgia Quick
Start provides broad food manufacturing
training and then tailors it to our specific
production lines as well, so our new
employees understand what their job
on that line is all about, " he said. " They
create dynamic training and deliver it as
well. It's an incredible value proposition
that they offer. "
The training program has been around
for 40 years and is free to companies
that are new to Georgia, creating jobs in
Georgia or investing in new technology
to stay competitive. The program can
train across a wide range of industries,
but for food manufacturing, Georgia
Quick Start can train employees on
HACCP principles, the latest government
regulations, GMPs as well as custom
skill sets required at each workstation.
The program works closely with the
company to tailor training specific to the
bakery's needs.

http://www.bakingbusiness.com

Baking & Snack - April 2021

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