1. food and drink
2. food
3. grains and pasta

THE MAGAZINE FOR LEADING BUSINESS EXECUTIVES
Winter 2015 Edition II
Super King
Markets
Purveying high-quality international
foods in Southern California
Quality food meets unique
sports entertainment in
Music City
A growing craft brewery
with a strong commitment
to community
Jonathan’s
Grille
Sun King
Brewing
Bringing brands to
life through engaging
events
agencyEA
www.usbusinessexecutive.com
Chabaso Bakery
Connecticut’s freshest artisan bread
Produced by Forrest Lancaster & Written by Erica Berry
When Chabaso Bakery (Chabaso) opened its doors
in the heart of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1995,
it was one of the first artisan bread companies in the
United States. Now, after nearly 20 years in business,
the bakery is ranked No. 1 artisan bread producer in
the North East.
A trip to Europe sparked Charles Negaro’s love for
traditionally crafted fine breads and motivated him to
open Chabaso. “I was driven by a passion for baking
and I wanted to bring the taste and enjoyment of
traditional European breads to the U.S.,” explains
Charles. “The quality of bread here was lacking and
I wanted to introduce the artisanal styles to the area.”
throughout New England and the Mid Atlantic. The
bakery employs 175 people and generates over $20
million annual revenue.
Locally sourced grains
At Chabaso, everything is made from scratch,
including roasted garlic for garlic bread. The
company is dedicated to using only natural products
and never includes any preservatives or conditioners.
Chabaso takes pride in producing superior quality,
wholesome artisan breads and pays special attention
to develop varieties that not only taste delightful, but
are healthy, as well.
In 1976, long before the bakery opened, Charles
founded his first entrepreneurial venture – Atticus
Bookstore in the Yale Center for British Art Building
in downtown New Haven. The bookstore eventually
morphed into a café bookstore and in 1995 Chabaso
took off with a separate facility.
Although all its artisan breads are quick to leave the
bakery shelves, Chabaso is best known for ciabatta.
“The process is very important and it’s different than
other ciabattas on the market,” explains Charles. “It
is a version of a sourdough and we let the dough rise
for 12 hours every night. Long fermentation times
develop flavors and textures to perfection—it takes
The bakery now operates from a 40,000-square- time and work to make quality artisan breads, but
foot space and distributes artisan breads to retailers you can tell the difference.”
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FOOD
“Fresh grains make better breads, so local has that
advantage, but we need to be sure we can provide
consistent quality and meet our volume demands
while introducing these new grains.”
As a pioneer in artisan breads, Chabaso is expanding
to new areas in nutrition by moving away from white
flour and entering the heirloom grains market. “In
addition to our quinoa bread, we are working with
other ancient grains and looking to expand our
breadth of ingredients,” says Charles.
Chabaso provides par-baked items for supermarkets,
which are frozen with a shelf life of several months
and can be baked on-site. The company also has
plans to expand its product line into sliced bread
and non-bread items, which will require new bakery
equipment and staff education.
Community involvement
Not only is Chabaso dedicated to baking the best
artisanal breads on the Eastern Seaboard, it is also
committed to the physical health and economic
development of its communities. Chabaso funds a
In order to appeal to mainstream dietary trends, non-profit organization that provides urban garden
Chabaso is also looking to join the local food space to surrounding neighborhoods and also donates
movement. With many varieties of local grain to, as well as sponsors, local events.
being grown in the U.S., including spelt, which is
a major player in the western Massachusetts grain “By supporting our communities, providing healthy
market, the company is working with local farmers alternatives and educating our young people we are
and grain producers to improve its selection of local able to sustain a healthier tomorrow for all children,”
and nutritious grain sources. “Because consumers are says Charles.
becoming more concerned with product traceability
and supporting local farmers, we are looking for Chabaso team members participate in volunteer
ways to enter the locally sourced grain market while programs throughout the year, including
still producing mass amounts of bread,” says Charles. Habitat for Humanity and Junior Achievement.
26 | USBusinessExecutive Winter 2015 Edition II
Company employees are also involved in running Although many other independent bakeries in the area
and cycling teams that compete in various events to have been bought out by larger companies, Chabaso
benefit many charities.
Bakery remains family-owned and -operated. The
bakery, which has put good faith in its name as it was
As a perk to its employees, Chabaso’s Healthy Eating formed by combining the first part of the names of
Committee focuses on distributing healthful, free Charles’ three children: Charlie, Abigail and Sophia:
lunches for employees seven days a week, 365 days Ch-Aba-So, plans to delight its patrons’ taste buds
a year.
for many more years to come. •
TRUST YOUR BUSINESS
WITH CINTAS
GAMING
HOSPITALITY FOOD SERVICE
HEALTHCARE CRUISE
AUTOMOTIVE
² UNIFORMS AND APPAREL
² FACILITY SERVICES
² FIRST AID AND SAFETY
² FIRE PROTECTION
² DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
² CLEANROOM RESOURCES
² FLAME RESISTANT CLOTHING
² PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
www.cintas.com
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