great harvest bread company evan happel sheena mcleod josh pine

Great Harvest Bread Company

Evan HappelSheena McLeod

Josh Pine

History

• Founders Pete and Laura Wakeman started with a small roadside stand in Durham Connecticut during college

• Couple went on to open the first Great Harvest Bread Company in 1976 in Great Falls Montana

• 2nd store opened in Kalispell Montana in 1978, 3rd in Spokane Washington

• Pete and Laura Wakeman sold the bakery to Pete Rysted in 1983 and the franshise office was founded

• Current President and CEO is Mike Ferretti

Company Goal

• Recruit the nicest, most generous, most honest and authentic people we can find—who love learning for the plain fun of it, who see business as an excuse to play, and love all of life for the sheer thrill of a bumpy ride—and bring them together in a caring community which supports these entrepreneurial types to TRULY run their own thing, make their own mistakes, have their own successes, and be 100% themselves.

Freedom Franchise

• Freedom to make own decisions

• Choose people who work with you

• Set your own schedule

• Set own dress code

• After certain core products you can choose what you sell

• Store can look anyway you want

Steps to Obtaining a Franchise

8 Step Plan1. Research

2. Information Packet

3. Application

4. Getting to Know You

5. Trip to Montana

6. Training and Support

7. Open Bakery

8. Live Your Dream

Company Information

• CNBC. Featuring Great Harvest Franchising

Great Harvest in Corvallis

• Came to Corvallis in 1998

• Travis and Michelle Pindell purchased the bakery in January 2005 making it locally owned for the first time.

The Daily Routine

• Fresh Bread made everyday coming out of the oven at– 10:30 and 1:00

• Mill their own flour everyday

• Free slices of bread handed out daily

SWOT Analysis: Strengths

• Wonderful Product– Proud of being good for you – Mostly wheat breads

• Customer Service– Genuine people

• Ability to adapt

• Bread Board “free samples”

• Strong Brand - people willing to drive

• Good atmosphere

Weaknesses

• Location– Downtown Corvallis (1st street)

• Price – High compared to grocery

• Not open on Sunday

• Not a lot of money for promotion– low margins

Opportunities

• Expand Customer Base

• More Advertisements

• More Involvement in Community

• Involved on Campus

• More product offering– Sandwiches and other lunch items

Threats

• Convenience – Grocery stores

• Other Bakeries/new bakeries – with more capital to promote

Thank you Travis (franchise owner) for the yummy bread!!!

Visit Great Harvest Corvallis!!!

Sources

• www.greatharvest.com

• http://nowtowns.com/businesses

• Interview Travis Pindell-Thanks for the bread!!!