Great Harvest Bread

Our Mission and The Freedom Franchise™

We're dedicated to finding the best people in the world who share our values, our love for life and our passion to run a great business. Those values can be summed up by our brief but heartfelt Mission Statement:

To achieve this mission, we've strayed from the typical cookie-cutter franchise organizational structure. We've rewritten the rules with a proprietary Freedom Franchise concept. Under this model, you have the freedom to run your own show. The franchise assists you by offering proven, tested, scalable, profitable business solutions. We have found that middle ground between the advantages of a traditional franchise and the fun of a let's-do-it-all-ourselves start-up. Our philosophy is simple. Let's create Mom and Pop whole grain bakeries when Mom and Pop know what the heck they're doing!

Bread…Keep it Simple! ®

We love whole wheat bread. That's because we think whole wheat bread tastes better than almost anything else, especially when it's made with fresh ground flour and combined with other simple ingredients. It's our first reason for loving this business. There's just something about the way that nutty, rich taste of wheat combines with honey, yeast, and salt that keeps us coming back every time.

In 1976, the first Great Harvest bakery opened its doors and sold the first loaf of Great Harvest whole wheat bread. Today, each bakery owner continues the artisan tradition of hand crafting whole grain breads and treats from scratch.

Initial training and Support

Pre-opening training requires a notable commitment of time and energy by you. Be prepared to spend at least three weeks on the road in bakeries and at the home office. The time invested in training, preparation and planning on the front end will be time well spent when your opening week arrives. Nothing makes us more proud than watching you on your grand opening day. You did it, and you're now in the business of baking great whole wheat bread.

Pre-opening services:

Combine the pre-opening support with the ongoing services we provide (see our information packet for more details on all of our services) and you'll have all the resources you need to achieve your business ownership dream.

A few start-up facts

• Capital requirements of applicants: $70,000-$75,000 in liquid, unencumbered cash (cash and securities, not including retirement accounts).
• We require owner-operators. Absentee ownership is not allowed. An owner's presence on-site is key to success in this business.
• Initial fee: Total fee is $35,000, of which $22,000 is due upon signing the franchise agreement and the remaining $13,000 is due three weeks prior to your opening.
• Average total cost to open a Great Harvest bread store is $245,758.
• Territory contains approximately 300,000 people or a ten-mile radius, whichever is smaller.
• Term of the franchise agreement is ten years, renewable.
• Royalty: 7% of total gross sales for five years from the effective date of your franchise agreement; 6% for the remainder of your ten-year term. Upon completing your first renewal, your royalty will be 5%.
• We do not charge a marketing fee.

Bakery Ownership Webinar

When you request more information, we'll send you an information packet and details about how to attend our free bakery ownership webinar. We will outline what makes Great Harvest so unique in the world of franchising as well as the benefits of owning a Great Harvest bakery.