Sugar Bowl Bakery
Overview
In the ’80s a family of refugees came from Vietnam to San Francisco and hoped to live the american dream. They had little baking experience, did not know english well, and had almost no money. They decided they wanted to purchase a small coffee shop, so they pooled their money, worked extra jobs, and managed to save enough to buy the struggling business. In the 30 years since they took over the company, they have worked tirelessly and have grown it to a 120,000 square foot production facility that supplies baked goods for walgreens and costco.
Each month, each of the brothers have a brainstorming meeting where they discuss concerns and ideas for the company.
Questions
How do the founders of Sugar Bowl Bakery use teamwork to make their business a success?
They pooled their money and understanding, and all made different sacrifices (Andrew Ly took night classes in english so he could succeed helping the business form connections and build marketing)
Why is it important for the brothers to continue to hold monthly meetings to discuss new ideas?
They all bring different things to the business so it allows a structured way for the brothers to share their ideas and what they bring to the table.
Do you think Sugar Bowl has a centralized or decentralized structure? Why?
They have a largely centralized structure, but share decentralized decision making once a month. The business is largely structured around the family organization.