Better 1 year late than never.

Hi there, lovelies.

Sorry I’m So Bad at This Blog:

I’m admittedly a professional marketer who hasn’t had the time, or maybe the bandwidth to write personally to you.

My last blog was almost 1.5 years ago (head palm), before I had fully launched Flour & Branch!

This past nearly 1.5 years of business has just been the most rewarding and thrilling experience, as I’m living out my real lifelong dream, or at least the beginning of that dream. I’ve also fought harder than I ever have, and have cried, and panicked, and persevered more than I ever have.

Year 1.5 In Review:

I made so many mistakes as it pertains to hiring, prioritization of expenses, sourcing the right partners and vendors, and navigating owning a business in two highly difficult markets – San Francisco + California – all during a pandemic, in a city with the strictest regulations in the country. It started with the launch of our website www.flourandbranch.com. 3 months later Flour & Branch launched on Goldbelly, Feastin + local delivery channels. By the first year we had been featured in Food Network Online (twice), Forbes, Reader’s Digest, KTLA, & Rachael Ray In Season. Then I closed operations to move us from a small catering kitchen to a storefront at 493 3rd Street in San Francisco, which required a LOT of work + remodeling. I moved furniture, scrubbed DISGUSTING things off nearly every inch of the space, set up the kitchen, bakery display, and customer seating area. I did this entirely by myself, although my exceptional partner and husband kept me alive and supported (and for this I owe him a great deal).

Our storefront is perfect (and I know because we saw a lot), but we still faced literally countless obstacles for 2+ months. Our new oven literally fell on me while being delivered... I think I held the oven up by myself through sheer determination and will.  Our existing large oven fell off the moving truck and was completely out while we waited for it’s replacement. And then our new oven stopped heating the literal day we were about to fulfil 100+ orders that were pending while we had been delayed in launching. And as a result we had to cancel 100s of orders for the Thanksgiving period and cut off orders early for Christmas. We faced hurdles with city and state permits / certifications and had thousands and thousands of unforeseen expenses because of negligent work and so many equipment and structural issues. We’re also starting over with a whole new staff, who are all some of the most amazing and talented humans that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.

In many ways I feel like I’ve clawed my way here! I opened the new (and newly remodeled) Flour & Branch storefront on Dec 7, so at the time of writing this, it’s been about 6 full weeks of operations. And it’s been amazing. I love our customers, being able to talk to and engage with you all. I love seeing people feel welcome and happy and supported when they come into my store. I love seeing my employees taking this enterprise so seriously, like it’s their own. But I’m also most looking forward to a new chapter with Flour & Branch – one where we grow and shake off our sea legs. Maybe one where I can get Eater and SF Chronicle to give us an actual feature. Or maybe I’ll just aim my sights on Oprah’s Favorite Things!?

Well, What’s Next?

If you’re used to ordering from us online, look for new options like Next Day Air, monthly subscription services, new cookies + gluten free & vegan cakes, and so much more. You’ll just have to follow us to hear all the good gossip. 😉

If you’re in San Francisco, your best experience is to come in the store and browse with us. We’re introducing new menu items nearly every day, including breakfast and lunch munchies, perfectly flakey pastries + soft baked cookies, breads, and cakes.

And sometime this year, we may have a second (smaller) location in one of the city’s biggest squares.

As always, thank you so much for being here. I’m blessed and grateful for you all – for trusting me and Flour & Branch with your celebrations, self-care, gifting, and catering needs.

XOXO,
Lauren Arnsdorff

Owner of Flour & Branch

Welcome, Honey Buns

Hello, and welcome to Flour & Branch! As an introduction to our shiny new site, here’s a sappy message from our Owner & Founder, Lauren Arnsdorff:

I created Flour & Branch, Bakes and Gifts because I wanted to give back to a community that I love, because I felt standards for customer service, client experience, premium ingredients, and unique product offerings have fallen so short. Having spent much of my life in retail and client service, I felt there was such a disconnect between what I felt “we” deserved or what I felt the customer experience should be, and what’s being offered. I felt it was too hard to find a super stellar tasting and unique bake that was made with the most premium, artisan ingredients available. I felt we needed more – more joy, more love, more giving – so I dreamt up Flour & Branch for you. Those are some of our core tenants here at Flour & Branch. They’re just as crucial as creating an easy and comfortable customer experience for all, serving products made from organic, natural, sustainable, local ingredients, with flavor pairings that both sustain you and bring comfort, but also hit you with a warm ray of nostalgia. And our bakes come packaged in the dreamiest, most giftable packaging. Because now more than ever, we need new ways to show up and connect with our people, and because you deserve extra doses of self-care.

Since our website is brand new and this is our very first operation, it’s extra important that you let us know if you encounter any issues or aren’t satisfied with your experience. Me and my team are here to serve you, and until I’m sure Flour & Branch has sustained a perfect track record of excellence, I’ll personally be answering all emails and phone calls.

I began Flour & Branch “officially” back in January of 2020, and spent months and months pivoting, reworking plans, and dealing with every obstacle that could possibly come my way. It’s been a tough road, which was compounded by the grief and sense of responsibility that I felt as a human and business owner in the present day. So instead of postponing due to the crazy that’s been 2020, I moved forward more determined. Now more than ever people deserve joy. And that’s what Flour & Branch is. That’s what our products represent, and that’s what we strive for with each transaction, order, and interaction.

For those of you placing preorders for nationwide shipping:

THANK YOU!! Thank you for being Flour & Branch’s very first customers. You’ll all hold an incredibly special place in my heart.

Expect that your order will take some time to be fulfilled. The preorder wait time is currently estimated to be 3-4 weeks. If we’re able to fulfill your order before then, we will!

If you have any questions while you wait for your order, or you’d like to adjust your order, just send us an email at info@flourandbranch.com. We’ll be delighted to assist you.

For our Bay Area neighbors:

Within the next couple weeks, we’ll begin offering local delivery in SF through our delivery only bakery, F & B Bakes. At that time, you’ll be able to place delivery orders with F & B Bakes through most every delivery provider available in SF. We’re still working hard to negotiate an expanded delivery radius so we can reach more of our friends in SF.

If you find that your delivery address falls outside the delivery radius of our local bakery, F & B Bakes, not to worry! Place your order at flourandbranch.com. All shipments within the Bay Area and California receive a discounted flat rate shipping fee of $10.

We cater to the Bay Area! Visit our deliveries tab to learn more and browse our full catering menu.

Stay safe, friends.

XOXO,

Lauren