Dave’s Killer Bread’s vision is to make the world a better place, one loaf of bread at a time.
With that vision in mind, PSU MBA students worked with NatureBake, Dave’s Killer Bread parent company to look at the environmental impacts of one loaf of Good Seed Bread.
Internal reflection and personal redemption have been the driving force behind Dave’s Killer Bread. NatureBake was founded in Portland, Oregon by James Dahl in 1955 with the goal of being innovative in their use of whole grains and sprouted grains in their breads. NatureBake has grown to become a regional landmark in the bread industry, and is now run by three generations of the Dahl family. In 2005, James’ son, Dave, returned to the family business after years of being in and out of prison. He has followed his father’s footsteps of innovation by creating the Dave’s Killer Bread line of products.
Recently, other regional and national bakeries have launched organic brands, focused on environmentally sustainable agriculture and the reduction of facility admissions. While sustainability has always been part of NatureBake’s values, they felt they could continue to adapt, identifying what actions should be taken in order to retain a competitive advantage within the marketplace.
With this in mind, Portland State MBA Students Kylene Fickenscher, Adam Kohl, Ken Waineo, and Nate Young worked with NatureBake to analyze the life cycle of Good Seed Bread. The analysis was defined by those process functions over which Dave’s Killer Bread and NatureBake had immediate control and ability to change. In addition, the MBA team developed potential strategies for reducing the company’s impact via environmental and financial return on investment, feasibility, and impact on facility operations.
The end result was a plan that provided Dave’s Killer Bread with information that could be utilized to make rational, informed decisions that would lead to an improved social and ecological footprint for the facility and help Dave’s achieve its vision statement. This statement, and the values that underlie it, clearly permeate the entire organization, and help to drive strategic decisions as well.
In addition, the project established a baseline from which Dave’s Killer Bread can measure future performance. If, for instance, a capital project is undertaken, Dave’s Killer Bread can measure the effect relative to the baseline assessment. Particularly with intensity metrics or per loaf calculations provided for each input, Dave’s Killer Bread can measure its progress in future years regardless of growth.
Dave’s Killer Bread can also develop a robust marketing strategy to tell the story of its commitment to sustainability. There is a large and growing consumer base that is attentive to environmental concerns and most would be happy to make the switch to their products if they were aware of their environmental management practices.
