Meet Zach Martinucci, the founder of Rebel Bread, a Denver-based bakery crafting artisan loaves and pastries steeped in tradition and really big on character. Zach’s passion extends beyond baking, as he aims to inspire home bakers with confidence through professional-led baking classes. Discover more about Rebel Bread and Zach’s incredible story in their case study video.
What is your name? And what is the name of your business?
Zach Martinucci. I’m the Founder + CEO of Rebel Bread.
How long have you been in operation? And what services/products do you provide?
I founded Rebel Bread in Fall 2018, so going on seven years. We bake artisan loaves of bread–like sourdough, ciabatta, and baguettes–and coffee shop pastries–like croissants, scones, and muffins. We also just introduced a focaccia sandwich brand called Gino Panino.
Most of our baking is for wholesale partners around Denver, and we also have a retail counter at our kitchen and the South Pearl Farmers Market every Sunday in the summer. Our products are made with regional grains and are naturally-leavened whenever possible – supporting our local economy, sustainable agriculture, and better health through great food. Everything we make is handmade and baked fresh daily right here in Denver.
What has been the driving force behind your business? And in what ways are you hoping to grow in the future?
My background is in culinary anthropology, so I’ve always been inspired by the culture, storytelling, and education around food. Rebel Bread, in turn, was created with a mission of providing education and supporting the community through baking. In addition to baking a great product everyday, we love making opportunities to welcome people into our world to learn about professional baking, including teaching recipes and techniques that they can use at home.
We’re excited to open a designated teaching kitchen for the first time ever in our bakery expansion. Finding new ways to connect with our community will continue to be at the core of our business as we grow.
As an entrepreneur what is one challenge you’ve faced in the past? And how did you overcome it?
Managing our overnight, wholesale deliveries have historically presented lots of challenges. We’re a bakery, not a logistics company, and as many times as we tried we just didn’t have the expertise or capacity to run our own deliveries successfully. I eventually decided to outsource this, looking to other delivery professionals that could partner with us. Our first try was with a delivery solution that connected us to random drivers through an app–it seemed like a great idea but was too transactional to get the level of service we needed on our complicated, overnight route. We tried to make it work for months but never received the quality that we were looking for.
Next, I started seeking out local drivers who were already driving as independent contractors, and even looking to build their own delivery companies. We partnered with two startups and began forming relationships with them–not just teaching the routes but getting to know the operators and their wives and serve as a mentor as they were getting off the ground. Caring for these relationships was way more work than just ordering drivers on an app, but of course much more successful for a long-term partnership and one of the things we love about small business in general. You could also say that “helping start two delivery companies” was a creative, albeit roundabout, solution to getting our own products delivered. But I’m delighted that I’ve seen relationships like this time and again in our world, and I think it’s a great example of what “community” looks like in action.
How was your overall experience working with Energize Colorado? What solution did Energize Colorado provide? And how did/will the solution benefit you and your business?
I had a lovely overall experience. I appreciate that I got to meet with real people at each step of the process who took a genuine interest in my business and how they could support it. I was ultimately offered a loan that will be used to finance front of house and teaching kitchen equipment in our bakery expansion project.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone with aspirations to start a business of their own?
My favorite piece of advice is to “get out there and start doing a version of your business you can do today with what you already have.” I love “trying on” parts of my business before committing to them–it allows me to get a sense of the realities of running the business beyond what’s written in the business plan, and make decisions informed by real experience.