We use the hashtag #NotFamousButLocal a lot.
It started as a bit of fun, but somewhere along the way it became a pretty good description of what we're trying to build.
Rise & Bagel isn't a chain.
There isn't a marketing department, a test kitchen or a factory somewhere making our bagels.
There's a baker.
There are some very early mornings.
And there are a growing number of people around Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, The Blue Mountains and the surrounding communities who have made our bagels part of their mornings.
That's pretty special to us.
We're trying to build the kind of food business we would want to buy from ourselves. Make something properly. Use good ingredients. Look after people. Be part of the community. And don't get too big for your britches.
Some mornings we make bagels for families.
Some mornings they're going to a cottage full of people.
Sometimes they're a gift.
And every week, some are headed to people in our community who spend their days looking after the rest of us.
Those are the parts of this little business that matter.
We're probably never going to be famous.
We're perfectly good with that.
Local is a pretty nice thing to be.
#NotFamousButLocal