WEBVTT - EYL #220 The First Black Owned Sliced Bread Company 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:03.600 An illegal alien from Guatemala charged with raping a child 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:07.480 in Massachusetts. An MS thirteen gang member from Al Salvador 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:11.840 accused of murdering a Texas man of Venezuelan charged with 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:15.840 filming and selling child pornography in Michigan. These are just 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:19.680 some of the heinous migrant criminals caught because of President 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:20.159 Donald J. 0:00:20.239 --> 0:00:21.200 Trump's leadership. 0:00:21.480 --> 0:00:25.079 I'm Christy nom the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:29.200 Under President Trump, attempted illegal border crossings are at the 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:33.080 lowest levels ever recorded, and over one hundred thousand illegal 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:36.920 aliens have been arrested. If you are here illegally, your 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:41.160 next you will be fined nearly one thousand dollars a day, imprisoned, 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:42.160 and deported. 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:43.800 You will never return. 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:47.120 But if you register using our CBP home app and 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:50.120 leave now, you could be allowed to return legally. 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:52.720 Do what's right. Leave now. 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:57.400 Under President Trump, America's laws, border and families will. 0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:00.000 Be protected sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security. 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:04.080 You gotta kind of dive down to build up. You 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.320 know where you want to be at. You know the pivot. 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.640 It's a pivot then that you know we knew we 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:12.560 was going to hit this point, at some point where 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:15.440 you got to shut everything that we're doing like down 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.280 for a second, so that that when it rebrands and 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:20.320 rebuilds up, that you just that much stronger. 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:29.040 My graduates from my school being forced back drop drop, Mike, drop. 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:30.680 Back drop drop. 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:44.679 All right, guys, welcome back, e y L. This is 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:49.240 going to be an educational and interesting episode. So I 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:51.480 always like to tell back stories of an episode before 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:54.360 we actually get into it. So we were in Chicago 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:59.680 a few months ago and what event was that? Uh men, 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:09.240 some blue friend blueprints blueprints, Yeah, dope event. And we 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:11.560 were in they had like a holding room which was 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:14.880 in the tower, like an apartment at the time, like 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:15.560 a holding room. 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:19.560 Yeah, it's definitely a penthouse. 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:25.959 Let's fly green room. Green room, right, that's what it is. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:26.679 It's a green room. 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:28.160 It's nice, the best one I've been in. 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:34.359 It's a green room as far as everybody said. So, 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:35.919 So he was meeting a bunch of people, a few 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:39.000 of our friends from Chicago, and then I met Mark 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:41.639 and he had introduced himself to me. 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:43.480 And it's kind. 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:46.960 Of like the East Side golf situation where people always 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:48.320 ask all the time, like how can I get on 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:50.480 the show, and then people always approached me all the 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:52.880 time like can I get on the show? I'm flipping 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:55.840 houses that I'm like, it's not really a unique situation, 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:58.680 no disrespect, but there's a lot of people that flip houses. 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.880 There's a lot of people that, you know, daytrade stocks. 0:03:02.280 --> 0:03:05.440 But when he said he had a bread company, like, 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.720 that's interesting. I never met an had a bread company. 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:10.840 And then he was kind of just explaining to me, 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:15.639 you know, the journey, why it was important, the whole process. 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:21.040 We had about like twenty minute conversation and I thought 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:24.080 it was interested. And then actually I found out that 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:27.320 they had tickets. There was ticket holders to invest FST. 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:30.960 They bought tickets to invest Fast Europe, I believe VIP tickets. 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:34.880 They couldn't make it, ended up donating the tickets to 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.680 the event in London. So in twenty twenty three, when 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:43.040 we think about new episodes and highlighting new entrepreneurs, he 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:46.080 came to mind and I hit him up and I'm like, Yo, 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:47.960 you're interested in coming on the show. You're like, let's 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:50.920 do it, And here we are. So this is a 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:54.440 dope episode. Black Owned Bread Company. The name of the 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:58.200 company is called Black Bread Co. So we got Mark 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:04.760 and Jamel CEOs of the brand, and it's something that 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:07.880 has caught a lot of attention recently. And we always 0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:10.480 talk about how we need to like do more for ourselves, 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:13.520 especially when it comes to food facts. Fat It's important, 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:14.840 right because it's like we're always. 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:16.160 Relying on somebody else exactly. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.359 And as far as entrepreneurship, this isn't something that's really 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:24.960 that sexy. Everybody wants to have clothing brand of disrespect 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:25.880 by one of the clothing brand. 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:28.240 Everybody wants to now do podcasts. 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:31.240 Everybody wants to and that's that's those are important as well, 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:32.839 but it's like life. 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.680 Essentials exactly our most important right. 0:04:36.279 --> 0:04:39.080 So so yeah, I'm looking forward to this conversation. So 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:40.480 first and foremost, thank you guys for coming. 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.800 Appreciate it, hey man, thanks for having us man, you know, 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:44.240 it's a pleasure to be here for sure. 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:46.360 Yeah. They came back out too. 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.520 So let's get into this. I got some questions, but before, 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:53.080 where does it start? 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:53.800 What? 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:56.279 How do you decide you want to start a bread company? 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:58.480 Yeah, well you know what it started in twenty twenty, 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:01.240 you know, with the George Floyd situation. You know, for me, 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.800 it was my personal protest. So my wife sent me 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:05.680 to the grocery store. 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:06.440 I had a list. 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:08.200 First thing it was on the list is happening to 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:12.400 be bread. So I was extremely intentional on you know, 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:16.360 supporting and buying only African American owned products. So as 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:20.320 I walked into the bread out literally I was in 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:22.160 the South about forty five minutes and there was no 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:25.720 African American owned sliced bread companies. And then, you know, 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:27.960 I couldn't believe it. So I left the store. I 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:30.479 ain't purchase anything. You know, call my best friends, like, yo, 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:32.120 we got to do something about this. It was more 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:36.680 so of a call to action, and that sparked the 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.039 whole initiative, Like, yo, we have to do this because 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:42.719 the fact that we can't feed ourselves in our own communities. 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.159 You know, it's a real problem that we have not 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.640 yet really addressed. You know, because between us and master 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:50.680 P and a handful of others, you know, it's not 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.719 a lot of people that's actually going into this industry. 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.960 And the crazy part about it is a big industry 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:59.480 like bread alone, you're talking about three hundred and thirty 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:03.160 three billion dollars a year. That's uh, you know, that's 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:05.760 in his bread industry that we are not tapping into, 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:09.640 you know, and from there, you know, the black red 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:13.600 cod was born. And yeah, I started. So he calls you, 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:15.280 what's this conversation? 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:18.000 Right, because I can imagine calling Shotty and saying like, bro, 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:19.920 we got to start a bread company. He's gonna be like, 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.960 all right, whatever, right, but it has it's really gonna work. 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:24.960 We know nothing about bread. We've never been in the 0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:27.560 food industry. At the time, You're not even you're doing 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:28.479 something completely different. 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:29.240 What's his phone call? Like? 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:31.479 Well, honestly, it was it was quick, bro. 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:35.640 So the main thing is for me, it's founded on 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.960 our friendship, our brotherhood. I know my brother, I know 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:41.040 how he thinks, I know how he moves, I know 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:44.120 how he operates. Right, So when he called me for me, 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:46.279 it was quick. It was already a done deal. He 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:48.320 called me, he was excited. And I know when he 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:51.680 has an idea, one is it's a grand idea. It's 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:54.320 something big. It's something, in my opinion, that not the 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:56.760 average person or the average mind would think of. 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:57.320 So that's one. 0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:00.240 He always comes with high level ideas. And then too, 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:02.760 I know, I mean, it was a crazy idea. I 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.200 knew he was going to do it. Yeah, and you're 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:06.760 not gonna leave me out if you fit to go 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:08.880 do one of the greatest things I've ever heard of. 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.680 And then instantly my mind went to, Okay, how can 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:15.080 I add value to this thought, to this. 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:17.000 Idea He's bringing me something? 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.800 At the time was it was intangible, like we didn't 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:23.760 have anything, we didn't know anything. But at the same time, 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:26.040 I look at myself and I take pride in being 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.360 able to one make something out of nothing. But I 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.400 can see things and I take pride and executing and 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:34.560 getting them done and making them tangible. So those skills 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:36.600 lined up in terms of us, you know, being friends 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.280 and us being you know, our backgrounds in different industries. 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:41.760 But it was a done deal from Jump just because 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:43.160 of who brought it to me, to be. 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.200 Honest, all right, So what so this is twenty nineteen 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:47.920 twenty Yeah. 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:48.800 So what's the steps? 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:49.080 All right? 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:51.720 So you decide that you want to have a break 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:53.920 company because you go to the grocery store, you can't 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:54.679 find any bread. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:57.680 But what happens after that? 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:02.320 So for an entire year, so from that time until February, 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:06.360 we literally did all the research. You know, we hired attorneys. 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:08.560 You know, we wanted to do a surgency was the 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.240 actually an African American owned sliced bread company. You know, 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:14.320 we didn't want to you know, say anything that wasn't true, 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.360 you know. And also we was doing the research on 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:20.840 what it takes to have a bread company right, and 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.600 so one thing that we knew for sure is we 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:26.880 ain't know how to make no bread right, especially like 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:30.080 no mass producing bread. So the first thing that we 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.679 secured was, you know, a chef. You know, we had 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:35.440 to find someone that's able to you know, put a 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:39.560 recipe together, make some bread, and a high quality love 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.160 for bread. So we knew what we wanted, and I 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:44.440 think that's the key is to really map out and 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.240 know what you want, what type of quality that you're 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.920 looking for. You know, we've been eating bread our entire lives, 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:53.199 so we know we don't want a bread that's going 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:55.160 to tear you know, that's going to be all you 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:57.480 know what I'm saying, cheap and flimsy. And at the 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:00.000 same time, because it's the first African American owned slice bread, 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:04.760 we wanted the highest quality period because a lot of times, 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:07.640 you know, unfortunately, you know, we get hit with the 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.280 black people don't want to do business right, you know, 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:12.679 we get those stigmas and things of that nature. So 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:16.000 we had to make sure that we represent well. And 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:18.920 so after we got the chef, you know, we had 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:22.800 to find a manufacturer or what we call a co packer, 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:27.040 right that can take this product formulated and then start 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.280 producing it, and then they can produce it at a 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:33.280 high you know, quantity, things of that nature. And so 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:37.280 in that as you imagined, it's a pandemic. No one's 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:40.240 taken face to face meetings, you know, So it took 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:43.440 us a long time to find a core packer. We 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.200 finally found one out in Wisconsin that was like, yeah, 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:47.640 just come on down, you know, we'd love to hear 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:50.560 you guys out. And so like during this meeting, the 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:53.160 guy being in the industry for over forty years, he said, listen, 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:56.880 I just got to tell you this. It's like I 0:09:57.120 --> 0:10:00.800 never had a meeting with black people. He's like, I 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.520 never sat across the table with no black people talking 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:07.000 about no bread. And he said, if you guys gonna 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:09.520 do this, he said, to be honest with you, I'm 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.360 gonna have a lot of people shook in this industry 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.560 because y'all can go from here to here and you 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:20.079 know it matter no time, you know, because what we 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:23.240 found out is the industry they know we're going to 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:26.520 take you know, our portion, but they don't know where 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:28.920 it's going to end and where it's gonna start. You know. 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.360 So when he said that, you know, we just kind 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.040 of like looked across the table at each other's like, 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.160 you know, we know it's gonna be so big. Yeah. 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:40.560 And then after that, we did a couple of sample runs, 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:43.960 you know, once we had samples, because Jamil always said, man, 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:45.679 we can't be no bread company. We are no bread 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:50.160 right now, like like that that wouldn't work out. And 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:54.240 then once we have the bread, we tasted the bread. 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:56.880 It was right, we all approved it, we all signed 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.679 off on it. And now that we have the bread now, 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:03.200 it was in Jamail ball park. As far as marketing it, 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:05.280 you know, getting it out here, and of course we 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:08.280 did the whole you know, Jim, I'll talk more about that, 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:10.960 like designing the packages, you know, getting the bag design, 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:13.760 you know, getting the packaging, because that's huge, right, A 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.120 lot of us don't know how to go get packaging 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:19.440 for different products, you know, so that's something that we try. 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:23.000 To How long is that process though, as I mean, 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:25.839 because the chef is making the recipes. I mean, I'm 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.000 sure you went through hundreds and maybe thousands of times, 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:31.720 thousands of recipes of and y'all are eating the bread. 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:36.320 Yeah, man, now going crazy to. 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:38.560 Talk about that, like finding the chef and then finding 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:41.319 the right recipe that says, all right, this is authentic, 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:42.320 this is what we're going with. 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:46.440 Yeah. So once again, so when we had the chef, 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.120 you know, of course he'd come out with you know, 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:50.680 fifteen to twenty different types of bread and we eat 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:52.760 it and each one has something different, right, So one 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:57.160 would have it's sweet, but it falls apart, is too soft. 0:11:57.400 --> 0:12:01.040 Another one would have, you know, it's firm, but it's nasty. 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:05.680 You know. Another one would have, h it's good, it's firm, 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:09.079 it's sweet, but the crust look crazy, you know what 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:11.120 I'm saying. So like it was just all these different 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:13.200 types of our bread didn't at the same time, we 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:15.600 wanted something that we can be consistent with as well, right, 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:17.600 because we don't want to put one product out and 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:22.880 then it's just inconsistent. So after eating his bread, you know, uh, 0:12:23.240 --> 0:12:24.880 we did gain a lot of way atleast I did, 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:29.080 you know. You know, after doing all that, we finally 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.160 like it was like down to the last one. It 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.080 was at this point it was really like, bro, we 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:36.440 might have to find another chef, you know what I'm saying, 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:39.720 because like we it's not you're not getting it didn't 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:42.200 taste good. Yeah, it just didn't taste good man, And 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:45.719 we knew we couldn't present that to nobody. And then finally, man, 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.960 he was like, hey, here's a batch. So we went 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:53.320 in ate the bread and were just like, hold on, dude, 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.040 this bread might be it. And then we was like, man, 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.080 let's make the sandwich with it, and actually took that 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.679 bread home. Uh, and I made a soundich for my 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:01.760 wife kids. You know, I didn't tell them it was 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:03.480 our bread, you know, I just want to get like 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:06.080 an honest opinion on how they felt about it. And man, 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:07.760 they smashed that bread. And my wife was like, man, 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:09.400 it's some good bread right here. She's like, y'all brand 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:11.120 need to taste like this. And that's why I knew. 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:11.880 I was like, yep, that's all. 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:13.920 So what kind of bread is it? 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:16.760 So it's a it's a premium white bread because and 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.200 it's a honey wheat bread. So one thing we didn't 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.600 want to do off the back is niche ourselves. You know, 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:24.520 it's okay to going to a niche afterwards, but we 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.160 want to go and compete with the you know what 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:31.120 I'm saying, the several leads and the top bread brands 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:33.440 out here, right, So we wanted to go head to 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:35.440 head with them, you know. So we wanted to make 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:37.720 sure like if they had a honey wheat, we wanted 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:40.079 a honeyweat and a premium white that's supreme white, and 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:44.520 those are too highest selling bread types in the industry. 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:46.840 It was it intentional, and I guess I'll go to 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:50.160 jamail with this the labeling of it, right, because when 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.520 you said premium white bread, but even when I look 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:56.839 at the larger label, it's the first Gourdonet premium white bread. 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:58.800 Yeah, that's very intentional. 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:02.760 Everything. I mean, intentionality is really the key number one. 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.000 But everything we did was intentionally from the look from 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:10.280 even just when you think of our culture and our people, bro. Excellence. Bro, 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:12.840 we had it had to represent black excellence. 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:13.480 Let's be real. 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.040 So that's what I'm saying for me when I hear 0:14:16.120 --> 0:14:19.520 ideas when I hear thoughts, I automatically go to programming. 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:21.520 You know what we said, We even from down to 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:24.040 the design. We had times where we were looking through 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:25.680 designs we were like, oh this is the one, this 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:27.000 is the one that we would sit with it, sit 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:28.800 with it for weeks at a time, and you know, 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:32.800 redesign and restructuring. And it was just one point that 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:34.000 I didn't even want it. I didn't want to be 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:35.560 a sore thumb. I didn't want to kill the vibe. 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:37.160 But I was like, I went back to the beginning, 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:40.800 and I remember Mark saying that this bread our products 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:44.760 have to sit on the countertops of a Diddy or 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:46.920 jay Z. It's got to be in their homes. We 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:49.400 got to get to that point and I stopped and 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.000 I looked at one of the package. One weekend, I 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:53.400 was just at home and I gave Mark a call. 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:55.360 I was like, Man, I hate to do this. I 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:57.080 hate to be that guy, you know what I mean, 0:14:57.080 --> 0:14:59.240 because I don't want the energy to be off of anything. 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.200 But I'm like, we got to go back to the 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:03.520 drawing board, bro, we gotta go. We got to go 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:05.120 back to ground zero. We got to go back to 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:08.840 scratch in terms of design until it's right, until it's 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:11.960 what it is, black excellence. So that's down to the bags, 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:14.840 the black and gold, you know, just just bringing that royal, 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.920 that excellent vibe. And now like fast forward to now 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.280 we're to the point where our people are proud of 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:23.160 our you know, the way the product takes of course, 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:25.720 but also proud of how it looks, how it feels 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:27.560 you pick it up off that grocery shelf. 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:29.520 We got people holding it up like it's money. Like 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:29.880 the bread. 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:31.560 That's the first time in history, you know what I mean. 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:35.360 Ain't nobody ever taking no picture bread? You said all 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:37.760 the time, you got a favorite picture. It's a young 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:39.760 girl maybe four or five years old in the store 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.440 with our grandmother hugging the bread in the bread out 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:45.640 now in the checkout line, holding our bread, holding the package, 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:46.000 you know what I mean. 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:48.480 So that that picture told me like that's what we 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:50.960 did it for, you know, because we all remember like 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:53.160 the bread we grew up on, you know, like those 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.080 like this is generations that we're talking about that's going 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:59.480 to grow up on this product, right and as the 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:02.360 product and the brand grows, is for that Because that 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:05.040 little girl told her grandma to take this picture of 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:08.320 me because her first time buying a black red company 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.920 and she's been buying it ever since. And so that 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:15.120 is the point is we should be able to go 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:18.240 to these grocery stores, these big box chains, which we 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:22.080 spending How much money is our spending power? Two point 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.680 eight something crazy? Like you know what I'm saying, Like, 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.240 that's our spending power? Where we spending it? At? A 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:31.520 lot of it is in these big box stores, right, 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.600 And once again we're not doing anything for our communities, 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.200 and we wonder why our communities are falling apart, you 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:40.920 know while our communities is crazy. Like when we just 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:45.280 take that mindset and like just look around every aspect 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.880 of the life. This microphone is staying, this couch, this table. 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:52.040 It's like all this is being manufactured, All this is 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:56.560 being made produced somewhere. Nothing is free. Somebody's getting paid 0:16:56.560 --> 0:17:01.720 off of everything. But where's our participation in it? You know? 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:04.199 When you really just think about the vast amount of 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:08.560 material products and things that we use, where are we 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:11.240 at with it? It's crazy. You can go to a 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:13.760 church or school. You can see floors and towels and 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:18.440 cheers and tables and napkins like and we don't have anything, 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.720 and then were wondering why we so disfranchised financially. 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:24.200 So all right, so. 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:27.760 You have a formula that you that you used to 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:30.000 make bread, right, the first question that I have is 0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:32.160 do you trademark that or you have. 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.120 A patent for that? Or how do you stop somebody 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:35.399 else from using that same formula? 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:36.000 Is that possible? 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:36.440 You have to? 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.200 Yeah? Absolutely, So you wanna you want to trademark your formula, 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:43.840 you know the only thing with the food industry, you know, 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.639 they can tweak your formula with one or two recipe changes. 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:51.480 So the thing is, you know, people can know the formula, 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.080 but they don't know how to make it. Meaning what's 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.080 our big time? You know? What's you know, how how 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:59.520 how long do we you know what I'm saying, process 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:01.399 are you know what I'm saying? Are dull? You know 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:04.080 what I'm saying? Like, what's those type of formulas? You know? 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:07.840 How hot is the water? You know when we mixing 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:09.560 and doing the stirring? You know, how long do we 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:12.520 mix it? You know? So it's it's more of the 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:15.240 you know, instructions that you really want to keep more 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:18.160 secret than what's in it, you know, because I can 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:21.880 give you the eleven zasus of you know, KFC or somebody, right, 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:24.640 but if you don't know the process of how long 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.960 they're going to uh fry it, what oil they using, 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:30.639 you know, and things of that nature, it's not going 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:31.399 to be the same. 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:33.360 So all right, so you get you get the blueprint 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:35.520 of how to make it. Then the guy in Wisconsin, 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:39.200 he has a factory way. He just he's making it correct. 0:18:39.280 --> 0:18:40.639 Yeah, So you he's taking this is. 0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:45.680 This is the ingredients, the eggs, water, whatever, and he's 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:48.920 making like ten different people's products. 0:18:48.320 --> 0:18:51.800 Exactly and a big yeah. So like you guys should 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:55.359 be surprised. Man, these these manufactured plants. Everybody probably is 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:57.960 being made in this So like our bread is being 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.119 made in the same factories as some of the largest 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:03.800 bread companies that you guys made in your entire life. 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:06.640 So for them, that's what they do. And that's something 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:10.240