Founder Spotlight: Rey Ortega (Sun Flour Baking Company)
Meet Rey Ortega:
Sun Flour Baking Company is one of the original vegan cookie companies founded in 1997. It started with a $300,000 loan from a trusted friend who saw the dramatic increase in the cookie labels my company purchased from his label business!
Startup Stage:
N/A - Operating since 1997, Sun Flour Baking Co. is in retail chains all over the US, including major airlines, hotels, restaurants, schools, and c-stores. Now, I'm looking for investment to build a vegan bakery.
Location:
Sacramento, California, USA
When did you launch the business?
1997
What led you to where you are today?
Not giving up. Before I started Sun Flour Baking Company, I ran another brand and figured out everything myself through trial and error, from formulating to packaging, accounting, and even delivering with my own van. When I found a financial partner, I parted ways and because of my inexperience and naivety, I ended up with nothing for my efforts in building an almost $1 million dollar vegan cookie brand and had to start over completely. But that led to the founding of Sun Flour Baking Co., so I have no regrets.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
First, people will tell you you can't do things, but that's because they've never been done before until you do it. Second, you don't need partners; they complicate things. You just need tenacity, be open to learning, hire a good team, and have a distributor to get your products nationwide.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Closing my first business (The Alternative Baking Company) was hard because I'd built up the business to $1m in sales in its first year, but left with almost nothing because of a financial partnership that wasn't the right fit.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
Having been in business since 1994, I can help people avoid the mistakes that I made and learn from my experience. I am here to save others money and time and help them create a profitable, successful business!
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
I want to open up America's biggest vegan bakery. I'm currently looking for investors for that business, and also looking for distribution for Sun Flour Baking Co. outside the USA.
Fun fact about you:
I went vegan in 1993 because I was a chronically sick kid. With the help of my father, I learned how diet plays a role in our health. I've also published two children’s books.
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