One local company is celebrating 40 years in business, and they want to thank the community for making that happen.
San Luis Sourdough, founded in 1983, has been producing the same classic sourdough bread that lines the shelves of San Luis Obispo County and other West Coast-area grocery stores.
“I think it’s amazing,” Jaime Juarez — who is the company’s longest-standing employee at 27 years and counting — said to KSBY when asked about his feelings regarding the company running hot 40 years later. “I still get shocked when I’m out in public and I’m wearing my San Luis Sourdough gear and someone says ‘Oh my God, I love your bread. I’ve been eating it forever.’”
The secret to longevity?
Consistency in flavor, among other things.
And how that’s done is, well, a secret, Juarez said, who is the operations production manager. What they can say is that the company has been using the same sourdough starter since 1983. Forty years of feeding the original starter every day for 365 days a year.
What started out as an operation of 60 associates in two plants that produced 120,000 loaves a year has grown into a 125-person effort that is now producing over 25 million loaves a year, Juarez said.
San Luis Sourdough will be celebrating its 40-year anniversary primarily with internal events across the year, including a summer picnic among associates, Juarez said.
The company also plans to continue its philanthropic efforts, including with the SLO Food Bank. “It’s so important that this community — that has supported us for 40 years — it’s important for us to give back to them as well. What better way to do it than through food?”
Juarez said the company also collects and provides monetary donations.
You can find San Luis Sourdough in a grocery store near you or in downtown San Luis Obispo Thursday evenings at the local farmer’s market.
“I’d like to thank the community for 40 years of support and for making our brand what it is today,” Juarez said. “… We look forward to another 40, 50 years.”
