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Small Biz Spotlight: Baguette Plus

Every Tuesday, we want to shout out one of your favorite small businesses around the greater Miami area. 

Let us know who you want to see featured at [email protected]

Names: Leandro “Leo” & Sasha Di Lorenzo

Business: Baguette Plus Baking Co.

Address: No storefront – yet 😉!  Offer deliveries in Miami-Dade & parts of Broward County. 

Their story in 100 words or less: We are a Husband & Wife team based in Miami. We bake various artisan breads and sweet & savory croissants and brioche goodies. We also make vegan croissants!

Backstory: Leo’s interest in bread baking began playing in his family‘s bakery in Caçapava, Sao Paulo, Brazil. His great-grandfather opened his bakery when he moved from Italy to Brazil in the early 1900s. Although he studied & worked in business for years, Leo eventually made his way back to bread-baking. When Sasha met him over 6 years ago, he had an oven that could only fit 4 baguettes at a time. 🥖

“He used to bake and deliver small batches of his baguettes to a European cafe in South Beach. I never thought I would be interested in the beautiful mix of science and art that is artisanal bread baking, but his love for his craft was inspiring! I knew we needed to expand on his passion & grow something special together – Baguette Plus was born! “

For almost 3 years, they baked for local farmers’ markets from University of Miami to Las Olas Oceanside Market to Fairchild Tropical Gardens to the Miami Book Fair and everything in between.

What’s an average day in the life look like? “There are no average days, because when it comes to artisanal bread baking, there is always something to do. All of our Artisan Breads go through a 36 hour + fermentation/sourdough process and our croissant & brioche does go through a 24 + hour ferment. This process takes extra time and care, but makes for a much more flavorful final product!” 

What’s your favorite thing about the neighborhood you do business in? “We’re fortunate not to do business in just one area. Being a part of various farmers’ markets on a consistent weekly basis has allowed us to grow in different communities over the years, which has been a lot of fun!” 

How did COVID19 change the way you do business? “On Thursday, March 12 all of our farmers’ markets & events were cancelled. Immediately, friends and some of our regulars reached out to place delivery orders to support us. We realized that would be our only way to keep moving forward,  so we reached out to a good friend of ours to help us put a website together and we officially transitioned our business into online-only ordering and deliveries.  Although these times come with plenty of anxiety and uncertainty, the eagerness to support our small baking business and other local businesses has been huge lately. We have felt the love from our community and beyond as they share their experiences with others, etc. 

People are ordering boxes of pastries for their family members and friends, celebrating birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and we even prepared a “Happy Quarantine” box! We have had people purchase extra artisan breads to share with their elderly neighbors and many other beautiful gestures, all of which make our hearts smile!”

If you could tell your customers and community one thing, what would it be? “THANK YOU x 1,000!!!  Thank you for taking a chance on us and our breads and pastries on your first visit or order. The greatest compliment is when you reach out again to re-order! We are so happy you enjoy what we bake and look forward to the days that we can see each other in person and continue hearing your stories as well as watching the neighborhood children grow a little bit more with each visit to the markets! Leo and I are very social. We miss our farmers’ market families, hearing how you enjoyed what you tried the week before (and ideas for new flavors, too!), and squeezing your fur babies and babies!”