FAQs about our Kickstarter Campaign:  

1. Tell me more about the croissants and brioche. Our family will LOVE that. 

They are staples for any good bakery that makes things from scratch with a European focus. Once we have a bakery up and going, we will concentrate on the pastry, with a European style to them, which means not too sweet.... and lots of butter! From brioche, you can make all sorts of things; cinnamon buns, hamburger buns, there's a whole list of items you can make. Those are 2 fun things we'll be able to make later in the year. 

2. How are you going to raise the rest of the capital you will need to open your bakehouse?

We are going to get a loan from either a bank or lending company backed by a small business association. The pitching for that starts in the next week or two. Hopefully, that will allow us to get the rest of the money to fit out the bakehouse and equipment we need. As well as working capital we need to help us through the rest of the year! 

3. Aren't there cheaper ovens you could get? $25,000 seems like a lot for an oven. 

Yes, $25,000 is a lot for an oven and it will probably be a bit more than that. When it comes to ovens that is the entry price for a proper bread oven, with a stone hearth to bake on. I've done extensive research and spent a lot of time looking for a used bread oven, but I can't find anything, that is under 10 years old. I think it is wise for the business that we get something that is new. It is going to mean a really good product for years to come and also become an asset and heartbeat of the business moving forward. 

4. How did you decide to go the crowdfunding route?

Why did we choose to crowdfund? Well all of us in the business are big fans of crowdfunding and have followed many great ideas that have come via crowdfunding. We saw some great examples of other bakeries around the world that have used crowdfunding to put some money together. We knew we would need to get money and funding from somewhere to kickstart this business to the next level. We knew that would come via debt or a loan. Kickstarter was a great way to get our community involved. We see ourselves as a community supported bakery, and little pledges from a thousand people around Green Bay is really going to set us up for success in the future. We won't have to borrow as much in the early stages. It is going to help us a lot. 

So what if we raise more than $25,000? How will it be spent?

Our goal is to raise $25,000 in our Kickstarter campaign. The majority of the funds will go towards the purchase of a bread oven. However, that is only around 30% of the total costs needed to set up our new Voyageurs Bakehouse. Our Kickstarter goal is the minimum we need for the bread oven. If we surpass our goal of $25,000, we will spend the money on other equipment like a professional dough mixer, shaping benches, other bakery equipment, bringing the building up to code, and making an awesome coffee bar for our community to enjoy. 

This is why we need the continued support of our community to share this project with your community around Green Bay.