bake - March 2013 - 10

management

Conscious Capitalism
Does your bakery business make a difference within your
community? Do you adhere to a clearly deﬁned mission
statement that is readily available to your staff and to
your customers?
Increasingly, managers and business owners are answering
such tough questions with a renewed commitment to
social responsibility and consumer education about the foods

Tucked among the traditionally baked breads, pastries and

they produce.

cakes that have been Zingerman’s Bakehouse staples for 20
years, customers now ﬁnd such seemingly exotic foods as

One such example is John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO

Flodni, Rigó Jancsi, and Pogácsa.

of Whole Foods Market, who delivered the keynote address
at the Winter Fancy Food Show in a session presented by the

Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo, the managing partners

National Association for the Specialty Food Trade and Social

of Zingerman’s Bakehouse, recently began the exploration

Venture Network. Author of a new book, Conscious Capitalism:

of Hungarian foods. Looking for new avenues to expand

Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business, Mackey shared his

their baking horizons, they made a plan to investigate the

insights on the growth of capitalism and the struggle to

baking traditions of countries that might not be familiar to an

present a positive image to today’s society.

American audience. “In choosing a baking tradition, we needed
a place with a long, deep history of really great food, but one

“People have evolved, and yet business has not evolved,”

that maybe doesn’t get the credit it deserves,” Emberling says.

Mackey says. “If we’re going to be successful as business-

“Hungary deﬁnitely ﬁt that bill.”

people in the future, we’re going to have to exemplify a more
conscious way of being and a more conscious way of repre-

After an extensive research trip to Hungary in the fall of 2011,

senting organizations.”

Emberling, Carollo and co-founder of Zingerman’s Community
of Businesses, Ari Weinzweig, were convinced that their choice

The specialty food retail leader delved into the key facets of

to learn about Hungarian foods was wise.

a successful conscious business, such as the importance of
identifying a business’ higher purpose. “You might ask yourself

What followed were a series of trips over the next year,

what is the higher purpose of your particular business: What

the most recent being to Transylvania in October 2012.

difference is it making in the world?”

After each trip, they delved into history and cookbooks and
drew upon what they’d learned on their travels in order to

Mackey also described a need for a shift in leadership

recreate for Zingerman’s guests the amazing foods they

dynamics. “I’m a great believer that, in this conscious capi-

found across Hungary.

talism and world that we’re trying to create, we’ve got to have
a different kind of leader,” he says. “One who is purpose-driven,

Today, as many as 15 traditional Hungarian foods might grace

one who’s authentic, one who’s caring, one who’s more spiritu-

the Bakehouse shelves on any given day, from traditional

ally aware and involved.”

soups to breads ﬂavored with paprika, to retés (strudels) and
many desserts.

Communicating the story
One example of a retail bakery that is deepening its involve-

As for where they’ll go from here, Emberling and Carollo intend

ment in understanding and communicating the story behind

to focus on particular areas of Hungarian cuisine like Jewish-

the bakery products it sells is Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Ann

Hungarian food, the cuisine of the Roma, home cooking, and

Arbor, MI.

traditional Hungarian recipes transformed by modern chefs.

10 < MAR 2013 | bakemag.com
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