Newsletters: January - February 2008
Local Spotlight-Lighthouse Bakery
Natural Times-January/February 2008
By Isabel Sheridan
Have you noticed the new line of baked goods in the back, left corner of the store? Lighthouse Bakery supplies New Leaf Market with vegan breads and cookies four to six times a week (just-in-time delivery). Although the label says the products are distributed by Ollie Mae, the person behind the mixing bowl is the thirty-year-old grandson of the real Ollie Mae. Ny Griffin, a native of Tallahassee, named his business after his grandmother because she was the person who taught him how to bake. The bakery is called Lighthouse because, in Ny's words, "It guides you in a direction that is good for you." Read that "healthy eating."
Mr. Griffin got into the baking business indirectly. In 2001 he became a vegetarian and started cooking for himself. He found hardly any baked goods he could buy, and so he decided to bake for himself. At about the same time, Ny began taking courses at the state's Small Business Development Center at FAMU. He read a book about McDonald's, Behind the Golden Arches, and became interested in the food service industry. He developed a business plan and in 2003 started baking out of his apartment, giving his breads and cookies to people here and there. To learn the food service business, he worked in two bakeries and later, in Steak 'n' Shake, which he managed. Meanwhile, he had moved back home to save money.
By 2007 he was ready to go into business for himself. This year Ny rented space for baking (in a strip mall on West Tennessee Street) and marketed his products to local food stores. Only New Leaf Market carries the full line of his products: multi-grain bread, flax seed bread, spelt banana bread, a baby-sized version of the same bread, granola cookies, and hemp cookies. He describes the last kind of cookie as "a big pile of amino acids and protein."
When asked what made his products special, Ny responded enthusiastically, "My products are made with people's health in mind. They are all natural and animal- and cruelty-free. The cookies are filling but don't weigh you down." The only liquid he uses is water because, "it is in everything and is the most natural and organic source of life."
Why did Ny choose vegan baking as his business? "I feel someone who is not avegan or into health foods might try my products and get a fresh perspective when it comes to healthy alternatives. Just because it's good for you, doesn't mean it doesn't taste good."
As you may be sensing, Ny is passionate about his profession, ". . . about contributing to society positively in an area that might be ignored otherwise. I call it organic sharing, which means I share something independently and originally with the world." He feels his business is a healthy lifestyle choice, one that puts him ". . . more in tune with life and the preciousness of life."
He continues, "The biggest blessing in life is to give." When he replaces the almost-outdated cookies, Ny brings them to the Shelter. "This year," says Ny, "I'll be volunteering at the Shelter on Christmas, and that's awesome."
Does he have plans for new products? "Yes," says Mr. Griffin. "I have some thoughts, but they are still formulating in my head. I am thinking of a bread with fruit; I just have to pick the right one. I'm thinking apple. And I definitely want to do a chocolate chip cookie; I just have to figure out how to get around the whole milk deal."
We hope he figures it out soon.
