April 12, 2016 – Just like its naturally leavened sourdough breads, Companion Bakeshop is expanding organically into the space next door, which has been and will continue to be Odonata Wines tasting room.
“Who doesn’t like bread and wine,” says Companion owner Erin Lampel. “We love their products and they love ours.” The extra space will provide additional seating and allow Companion to double the size of its walk-in cooler, which is used for fermenting loaves overnight before baking.
“We have a beautiful, ginormous oven but have only been operating it at about 25 percent capacity because there wasn’t enough cooler space,” she explains.
The wall has already been opened between the two beloved Santa Cruz businesses and the oven will serve as a focal point for the large new shared seating area, which will also include Odonata’s outdoor patio. Both businesses remain open during construction, which is expected to continue until June.
Since most of the bakeshop’s customers arrive in the early part of the day and most of Odonata’s customers come in later, it’s hoped the shared space concept will be a hit—especially with young families with children and strollers.
Lampel said they had considered buying a new location in Monterey to get the additional space they needed, but have shelved that idea in favor of expanding right next door.
Companion currently sells its bread at eight Farmers’ Markets in the Monterey Bay area and has no immediate plans to expand distribution, but increased production will allow them to bring more breads to the markets where they frequently sell out early.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
