Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Liporace.
Zach, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My parents are not good cooks. I always find myself envious of people who reminisce about their grandma or mom’s cooking (especially around the holidays). To eat well, my brother and I had to cook. We would create feasts every holiday and even cook some dinner on weekday nights. In college, I was essentially a caterer with a major in film.
So it came as no surprise when I told my friends and family that after nine years in the TV business I would be starting my own business…in bagels. In the spring of 2017, I had just turned 30, my job was unfulfilling and not challenging enough to keep me interested and worst of all my grandfather, who I called “Pop” had just passed away. I was going through a crisis, but out of all of that negativity came the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. Pop’s Bagels was born. I had been making bagels for friends for a year or so – having them come over on Sundays, bake up a fresh batch and walk to the farmer’s market. It was an awesome little tradition.
At some point, I got a little tired of having everyone over so I thought we could try and bake the bagels at someone else’s house while I prepped at home. I discovered that you could boil bagels and wait to bake fresh wherever you found an oven. This sounded like an AWESOME catering idea. So I started slowly, making bagels and fresh cream cheese out of my apartment (while still holding onto the TV job just in case) and catering for various businesses and private parties. Word spread quickly and by September of 2017 I left my job and started Pop’s full time. Since then, we’ve grown to have a full time working kitchen in North Hollywood, dozens of pop ups each week and full-time staff to help! Future plans involve a delivery and take out kitchen in west LA, shops around town and a big “take & bake” business with the boiled bagels to be baked at home. Bagels no longer suck in LA.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No small business is a smooth road. I had trouble finding consistent business at first – starting a new kind of bagel business can be confusing (and expensive) to most people. I had to convince them, by having them try my product, that it was worth the extra money. Once I had my client base, I needed to expand my staff. It can be difficult to trust strangers with your livelihood and reputation. In order to grow the business, I couldn’t be at every single job and once we got to be known around town it got harder and harder to trust people to do things exactly as I do.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pop’s Bagels – what should we know?
We set ourselves apart by making the bagels hot and fresh in front of our customers. Every bagel you have at Pop’s is only 10-15min old AT MOST. We only do small batches – unlike traditional shops that bake hundreds at a time and let them sit around all day. We also only do three flavors – plain, everything and cinnamon raisin. Lastly, we actually make ALL of our cream cheese from scratch daily using the best organic cream, milk and buttermilk.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My dad and stepdad have been HUGE supporters in getting me going early. My step dad’s father was in the bakery business so his knowledge was crucial. My mom and dad were amazing soundboards for my frustrations and I appreciated all of the complaining they had to endure early on. I also have an incredible network of entrepreneur friends who have started all kinds of businesses out here and their knowledge and incite have been supremely important. Being the owner of a small business can be lonely and having those guys has meant the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: popsbagelsla.com
- Phone: 3239037481
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popsbagelsla/
- Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/popsbagelsla/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pops-bagels-culver-city-3
Image Credit:
Adrien Vargas (b&w photos)
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