Oftentimes it seems like the first rule of thumb for food operations is to survive another day. Costs of raw materials continue to rise, labor is impossible, customers are increasingly fickle, the economy is in a constant state of flux, and rents are…crazy! The Cardinal rules of doing things with excellence in mind, knowing that taking care of your employees is paramount to taking care of your guests, and putting on that sustainability hat that drives your local purchasing and treats waste like enemy number one, tend to wind up on the back shelf. If I can just meet payroll, if my vendors will be a bit more patient, if the weather cooperates, if guests will just come back and give us another chance.

         And then, beyond belief, you discover a business and business owners who, beyond all odds, DO IT RIGHT, and succeed while doing so. There aren’t enough of them, but they do exist. Here is a testament to one that does.

In 1999, Randy George and Eliza Cain founded Red Hen Baking Company in Duxbury, Vermont. It started as a 7 day per week bread baking company and remains that, primarily to this day. The wholesale business, now in Middlesex, remains focused on bread while their retail outlet in Montpelier (Vermont’s capitol) has a full spectrum of breads, laminated pastries, Vermont coffee, and a full menu of homemade sandwiches and soups.

Randy and Eliza had a plan, a set of strong beliefs in the product they made and the business they ran. Those strong beliefs guide them today as successful entrepreneurs and trusted artisans throughout the state. The formula is simple to understand but always challenging to maintain – but they do. Buy regional ingredients, focus on organic, support the community and they will support you, hire good people and treat them like family, promote from within whenever possible, do not waste, make products by hand, always fresh and practice excellence as their hallmark. All their breads are products of long ferments, their breads are hearth baked, their flour vendors are millers who are certified organic, and their methods date back to the early days of artisan bread baking.

Red Hen has established relationships (note this goes way beyond traditional vendor connections) with flour mills in Quebec, Canada; Trumansburg, NY; Middlesex, VT (where their current bakery resides); and their whole wheat and rye flours are milled right at their own bakery.

I have known Randy for quite some time, having worked in Vermont for a few years and even engaged in some consulting at Red Hen a few years back. He is the real deal – what you read about him, Eliza and their team in Vermont is exactly what you get. Randy does not seek the limelight, he works as hard as any employee and doesn’t differentiate from mixing, benchwork, working the ovens, washing pots and pans, or sweeping floors. He is connected to everything and everyone. His wholesale customers smile and rave about Randy as a businessperson. There is a high level of respect for him and his business and Randy, in turn, feels that respect for each of his clients. Total trust leads to long-term success.

As hard as he and Eliza work, they remain altruistic in their approach towards business. As stated on their website: “We never throw away a loaf of bread.” Where many bakeries will find little use for stale or day-old bread, Red Hen is committed to bringing what’s left to those who are in need and cannot afford, or as feed for many of Vermont’s farm animals. Recycle, compost, re-use, and support are paramount to their way of doing business and they do not waver from that commitment. It is ingrained in the culture of the business, and everyone buys in.

As is the case with many successful small businesses – Randy is a face of the operation and steady customers light up when they see him. His smile and Eliza’s are a reason for people to walk through the door – their presence adds flavor and character to the products they proudly bake and sell. Whether it is a baguette, crusty boulle, loaf of incredible fig and anise bread (my favorite), a nutty and deeply rich loaf of whole wheat, delicate croissant or pain au chocolat (as good as you will find in Paris), cheese Danish, waffle cone for their creemees (what they call soft-serve ice cream in Vermont), classic Jambon au Beurre on a still warm baguette, or deep roasted Vermont coffee, you can depend on excellence, EVERY TIME!

Everyone at Red Hen, sweats the details. From the way you are greeted to the quality of the products. Walking through the bakeshop is like a trip back to a time when craftspeople ruled. Sure there are large spiral mixers, commercial sheeters for laminated doughs, and ovens that are the envy of anyone who has ever worked in a bakery, but they still shape loaves by hand, still roll those triangles of laminated dough into croissants – by hand, still brush Danish pastries with an apricot glaze – by hand.

The employees at Red Hen are treated well. Many have remained there for years. There is a no tip policy because Randy and Eliza believe that their employees should be paid a fair wage by the employer, not supplemented by the guest. His wages are competitive and their benefits as generous as any you might find in the region. If a guest wants to offer a tip, they will be encouraged, instead to donate to a local charity selected by the employees. Giving back to the community is a way of life at The Hen.

The smells at Red Hen are only part of the overall experience (although the aroma is totally intoxicating). I have spent considerable time watching their employees at the bench – folding and shaping breads. They smile and hide the fact that this is hard work that they really to enjoy.

The retail store has recently moved to Montpelier, and I am anxiously awaiting my first visit in early September. I live in the Adirondacks of New York State, no longer work in Vermont, but go out of my way to visit Red Hen whenever I can and cross my fingers that I might run into Randy and Eliza. They do it right.

If you are looking for an example of how a business can and maybe should be run; pay them a visit. They’re always open.

Red Hen Website: https://redhenbaking.com/

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER – DO IT RIGHT

www.harvestamericacues.com – BLOG

Visit my author website at: www.paulsorgulebooks.com