Innovation

One business innovation used by 12th Street Bakery is a “co-op” type arrangement for getting wholesome, locally sourced ingredient rich bread to the community. Customers “subscribe” to receive bread weekly, prepay and then pick up at a prearranged location. When customers pick up their order, 12th Street Bakery’s proprietor, Elizabeth Cotter sees an opportunity to forge community connections and discuss the impact of using locally sourced ingredients.

Another innovation put into place by 12th Street Bakery is uniting the community with locally sourced produce and commodities. Elizabeth often links her customers with other small local farmers-so that her customers have the opportunity to purchase locally sourced items such as poultry, eggs and produce.

Inspiration

Elizabeth has lived in several different parts of the country before settling in Thibodaux. Before moving to the South, Elizabeth lived in Alaska, where she opened and ran a bakery for 5 years. Although she has experiences in carpentry, book keeping, and cycling, she grew up baking and it has always been one of her strongest passions. Because it was expensive to live in Alaska, Elizabeth’s family grew and cooked a lot of their meals. She learned hands on from her mother how to bake fresh, clean, and delicious bread and has been baking it ever since.

When Elizabeth moved to Thibodaux with her husband, she wanted to be able to operate her own small business so that she could work flexible hours, enabling her to continue traveling to Alaska and allowing her to keep up with her other hobbies. She used the money from the sale of her former business to purchase the equipment needed to operate a bakery out of her home.

Elizabeth believes that food that is truly fresh and clean should not be able to last on your countertop for two weeks, thus she decided to devote her time to baking bread using unbleached, organic, and non-GMO flour. Her small bakery soon turned into a local subscription service where Elizabeth visits markets weekly to deliver her baked goods to her subscribers.

Overall impact

By baking goods with all-natural, sustainably produced resources 12th Street Bakery has been “doing good by doing well” and thus impacting the business, society, and environment. 12th Street Bakery’s innovation impacts all three in the short-term and long-term through good health & well being, clean water & sanitation, decent work & economic growth, sustainable cities & communities, and responsible consumption & production.

The innovations that 12th Street Bakery has brought to life has impacted business by making consumers more aware of the need for quality ingredients in baked goods. Cotter relates this to the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” The products may ultimately cost more-but in the end the benefits outweigh the costs.

12th Street Baker’s innovation has impacted society in several ways. Relationships have been formed through bread subscriptions and farmers market meetings. Many members of the local community expressed the demand for a bakery such as 12th Street Bakery in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The bakery provided cleaner food for the people as desired.

The environment was impacted by the innovation as well. Watershed from the lower Mississippi Valley flows through southern Louisiana, which reinforces a need for going green. By utilizing local produce and resources 12th Street Bakery enhances the environment.

Concrete evidence suggesting these positive impacts have occurred include the profitability and success of the business itself. 12th Street Bakery has been up and running since 2014, reaching a wider range of customers each day.

Business benefit

12th Street Bakery’s center for doing business is their bread subscriptions. The innovation of baking goods with all natural ingredients from sustainably produced resources is what allows 12th Street Bakery to do business. Elizabeth Cotter not only takes prides in her products, but her customers as well. This innovation impacts the business by making customers aware of quality ingredients and healthier choices. This innovation also impacts the business by allowing Elizabeth to connect with potential and existing customers about available products providing healthier choices for them and their families. Being a community-supported bakery has been the overall benefit for 12th Street Bakery as a business. Subscribers of the baked goods have a connection of where their products come from. When consumers think of 12th Street Bakery, they think of a brand that is fresh, local, and community orientated.

Social and environmental benefit

12th Street Bakery’s impact on the small town of Thibodaux has been substantial for the one-women operation run by Elizabeth. She has provided this small city with a healthy alternative to the baked goods from chain grocery stores. All of her products are made with locally sourced ingredients, allowing her to produce organic, Non-GMO baked goods for local people while also minimizing impact on the on local environment.

Interview

Elizabeth Cotter, Owner, Founder