When we say: “Where people who really know their bread, get their bread”, it’s about creating the best possible breads that are exclusively made for the most discerning chefs, restaurant owners and decision makers in the food service industry. People who know the quality of the ingredients they use for their menu items is one of the main reasons they have loyal customers who come back to their restaurants again and again.

And the more you know about La Jolla Baking as a company, the more reasons you’ll have to love our bread.

The La Jolla Baking Corporate Social Responsibility Statement 

At La Jolla Baking, we care deeply about our people, our community and the planet that provides us with everything that goes into our breads. We believe it is our responsibility to maintain a supportive environment where our employees are happy, to be a good neighbor and to ensure our business practices do no harm to mother earth.

Our Focus Areas and Progress Report

Workplace and Food Safety

Safety is a top priority that’s baked into our company’s culture in both the products we make as well as the workplace.

As a matter of daily routine, we follow our comprehensive HAACP food safety program covering all aspects of our business operations in conducting internal risk-based surveillance and food safety testing. Key areas: Systems and Processes, Risk mitigation, Record keeping, Audits and Traceability of ingredients. All of which are key to isolating risks in the event of any food safety concerns.

We are committed to the personal safety of our team members and stay abreast with OSHA regulations for workplace safety. We strive to maintain a culture that anticipates risk and prevents injuries by providing specific training and proper equipment.

 In 2022, in our annual third-party HAACP Food Safety Audit we score 99.52 out of 100.

In the past three years we have had no work-related injuries that resulted in employee day(s) away from work.

Responsible Sourcing

We acknowledge our responsibility for maintaining high standards not only in our own operations, but also across our value chain. We depend on our suppliers to deliver quality ingredients and services with safety, business integrity and as our partners in corporate social responsibility.

As such, we instituted a comprehensive Supplier Approval Program and each year all suppliers to La Jolla Baking are required to complete an extensive questionnaire for approval. The questionnaire covers all aspects of their food safety policies and practices from sourcing to processing to delivery, as well as their commitment to conducting business in an environmentally sustainable and ethical manner that supports fair labor practices, complies with regulations, demonstrates integrity and provides equal opportunity. A supplier (vendor) may be disqualified, based on the degree of nonconformity in a single incident, in accordance with our established policies.

Sustainability through retrofitting the building

In 2019, we installed new skylights throughout our facility that provide light that allows us to substantially reduce electricity use during daylight hours. We converted the entire facility from fluorescent to LED lighting fixtures to further reduce use of electricity. We also replaced the entire roof with TPO material. TPO has UV resistant properties and is white in color which helps by reflecting sunlight away from the building, keeping the building cooler in warm months so we can use less air conditioning. TPO not only meets but exceeds the EPA Energy Star requirements. We replaced the existing exterior landscaping with drought tolerant desert style landscape and crushed rock ground cover.

Sustainability Through Reducing Waste

A by-product of our handcrafted baking process is a certain amount of operational waste in the form of dough and bread that isn’t sold. One of our important measures of sustainable practices is the degree we can divert waste from the landfill with extra priority on organic waste.  

We now donate all production waste to a local farmer which makes for great feed and happy farm animals. Meaning the organic waste produced by our operations does not end up in a landfill. 

Sustainability through Recycling

Packaging plays an essential role in preserving the quality of the bread we bake. It presents challenges in terms of the waste generated when improper disposal occurs or when non-sustainable materials are being used by our suppliers. Packaging is also the top sustainability issue we have influence over. La Jolla Baking works to reduce the environmental impact of packaging by increasing use of recycled and recyclable materials.

Silo

Rather than relying on the standard 50-pound bag for our base flour, La Jolla Baking installed a 60,000-pound silo for bulk flour in our facility. This way we now take delivery of flour directly by the truckload thus eliminating all the packaging we used to have to handle and would quickly end up filling our recycling containers.

Ingredients in recyclable packaging

As part of responsible sourcing our Vendor Approval Program requires our suppliers to deliver the ingredients we buy from them in packaging that is 100% recyclable. 

LLDPE Packaging

All our bread products are packaged in minimal lightweight packaging made of LLDPE (Linear Low-Density Polyethylene) and is 100% recyclable. Since LLDPE maintains its base properties during the recycling process, it is a commonly recycled material. It can be recycled again and again, eliminating waste while serving countless functions. Recycled LLDPE can be combined with virgin LLDPE material or used on its own to create new end-products. Recycled LLDPE is often used to produce piping, sheeting, films, and trash bags for composite lumber, building and agricultural applications and other products.

Delivery trays

All our bread products are delivered by our drivers in our reusable trays. These delivery trays provide a very efficient system for sorting, stacking, loading, transporting, and delivering bread to our customers. They are made of HDPE plastic, highly durable and when properly used and maintained they last for many years. Further, these plastic trays are fully recyclable at the end of their serviceable life.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We believe and are committed to the protection of human rights throughout our value chain.  As a company we maintain high standards for ethical conduct and integrity from ourselves, our employees, and our suppliers. We support fair wage practices, the elimination of forced or compulsory labor, child labor and zero tolerance for discrimination in employment practices. In all aspects of our operations, we foster a safe, ethical, and inclusive workplace where our employees can thrive and help make a better life for their families.