The Essential Baking Company
The Essential Baking Co. in Seattle—which was the first certified-organic and non-GMO bakery in the Pacific Northwest—brings baked goods to the greater Seattle area via three cafés and regional wholesale direct store delivery (DSD) throughout the Pacific Northwest. It also now reaches a national audience with its Take & Bake line of artisan sourdough bâtards and baguettes, which get a notable 190-day ambient shelf life thanks to modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP). For the full story, see “The organic and artisan ingenuity of The Essential Baking Co.”
NONE
The Essential Baking Co. in Seattle was the first certified-organic and non-GMO bakery in the Pacific Northwest. George De Pasquale, founder and head baker, brings his baked goods to the greater Seattle area via three cafés and regional wholesale direct store delivery (DSD) throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Essential Baking Co. also now reaches a national audience with its Take & Bake line of artisan sourdough bâtards and baguettes, which get a notable 190-day ambient shelf life thanks to modified-atmosphere packaging.
NONE
“Even as a kid I loved the neighborhood bakery and baking bread at home,” recalls George De Pasquale. “I’m Italian-American. I grew up on Long Island in an Italian neighborhood where on Sunday, you wouldn’t know you’re in America. The Italian bakery was right around the corner. My mom would send me over there. I loved the atmosphere. You had to go into the bakery to buy the bread. They didn’t have a storefront. They just had a rack. I remember the smell of that bakery to this day. It’s the same smell that hits me when I walk into my bakery.”
NONE
The range of products offered by The Essential Baking Co. includes organic and conventional artisan breads, pastries and desserts distributed to grocery stores, cafés, restaurants, schools and hospitals across the Pacific Northwest, with select product lines going to warehouse/club stores and supermarkets nationwide.
NONE
The addition of a modified-atmosphere packaging line has brought a strategic tool for growth into The Essential Baking Co. lineup. The ability to offer high-quality artisan breads with a 190-day ambient shelf life holds wide appeal. “It opens up a whole set of distribution channels that don’t rely on freezer,” says George De Pasquale.
NONE
The Essential Baking Co. exclusively uses sourdough starters for its bread products. “We have seven different starters that we use to mix and match, combining to make different flavors,” says George De Pasquale. “When I opened the bakery, the guy who was selling me supplies said that he had a starter that he wanted to give me. ‘It has been with my family for a really long time,’ he said. ‘Do you want some of it?’ He came back with a family tree noting everyone who had been given the starter, and where it had come from. Apparently, it had been in his family since the Gold Rush.”
NONE
“We’re about to launch a small line of breads made with locally milled organic flours,” says George De Pasquale. “Specialty and local grains are the next big trend. I’m very excited to keep working with and promoting our local farmers and mills and being part of the agricultural revolution that’s happening here.”
NONE
George De Pasquale notes that some of The Essential Baking Co.’s highest volume comes from local foodservice accounts, which tend to order sourdough table bread. Most of the bakery’s breads use some sort of preferment. All batching is done in house, and the longer-fermentation breads go for 6–8 hours. “I prefer to get everything done in a day,” notes George.
NONE
A balance of strong local and regional sales—diversified across retail and foodservice—along with emerging strength on a national level, helps keep the bakery humming. The Essential Baking Co. also brings in contract manufacturing projects and works with retailers on private label lines, on both the West Coast and the East Coast. The bakery is in its second year of being SQF Level 2 certification, which brings assurance to existing and potential customers.
NONE
Although The Essential Baking Co. has introduced some level of automation for its bread lines, pastry products remain hands-on and job-oriented. Most pastry orders go to local and regional customers.
NONE
A total of three Essential Bakery Cafés now operate in Seattle. George De Pasquale notes that the cafés help bring a nice public presence in the area, as well as locations for testing new products and getting feedback from the community. “More than anything, I’m proud of our people. Over the years, we’ve had many bakers go out and start their own bakeries or work in other bakeries. I feel honored and blessed to have made an impact in our community, to have put bread and pastry on people’s tables for so long, and to have such loyal customers.”