Today we’d like to introduce you to Collin and Judy Yarbrough.
Collin and Judy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We started Full Circle Bakery back in 2012 after Collin felt the call to start a “non-profit bakery,” whatever that meant. The Full Circle idea came pretty quickly and is centered on the idea of sourcing as locally as possible within the state of Texas and then the proceeds from cookie sales going “full circle” back into non-profits here in the state. Our partner since the beginning has been CitySquare. They are a large non-profit that is focused on fighting the root causes of poverty here in Dallas and that really aligns with our overall mission. As luck would have it, Collin was standing in the grocery check out line one Saturday morning wearing a CitySquare t-shirt, when the man behind him in line asked if he worked for CitySquare.
After explaining the partnership with CitySquare, the man, local restauranteur and culinary instructor, Jordan Swim, invited us to be a part of the Culinary Arts Workpaths program that he was heading as part of CitySuqare’s new Opportunity Center being built just West of Deep Ellum. We have taught a one-day baking class in that program since 2016 and our proceeds have gone to support that program with the hope of eventually hiring students from that program… coming Full Circle. The bakery was maintained as a side project for a long time and really began to get serious in 2018 when we began selling at the White Rock Local Farmers market.
Sales took off and we began to engage in the community in new ways and find our voice a little more around justice in the food system here in Texas. That growth ultimately led Collin to quit his job as an Engineering Manager for Atmos Energy in April of last year to focus 100% on getting the bakery off the ground. This has allowed us to say “yes” to significantly more opportunities in the community and make a concerted push toward more sustained change for the otherwise disenfranchised here in the state.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been bumpy, and the aprons almost hung up several times. It’s often hard to know if you are on the right path or following what you are called to be doing. Judgement was not easily discerned for Collin as he was balancing a successful career as an engineer and determining the most beneficial use of his time and resources. There continue to be times our family bonds are challenged as we struggle over the use of pecans in our Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or try to find the elusive work-life-family balance. Working to rebuild a food system and do business in a way that differs from the norm in many ways is never easy.
Finding local sources for ingredients is full of unanswered emails, disconnected phone numbers, and the belief that what you are attempting may not be possible. We just moved into a commercial kitchen earlier this year and began wholesaling to a new restaurant in town. The process of scaling up our production and dividing into two baking operations creates new opportunities to challenge ourselves. Neither of us are professionally trained bakers, however, we have honed the experience needed through constant trial, error and a whole lotta’ reading. We wouldn’t trade any of the difficulties for anything!
Full Circle Bakery – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a 501(c)3 non-profit bakery that specializes in baking up cookies from as many Texas ingredients as possible. Our most popular cookies are the Texas Cow Chip and Chocolate Chocolate Chip. The Texas Cow Chip has a great story (ask us sometime!) and comes filled with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, pecans, oatmeal, and coconut. 2019 was a breakout year for the Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookie and is arguably developing a cult following. The secret lies in the melted chocolate in the batter to produce a decadent and fudgy cookie.
Our mission and purpose are our biggest differentiating factors. Not too many bakeries are non-profits, at least not intentionally! We are most proud of our pursuit to reshape the food system in Texas, fighting for justice from farm to table with those typically finding themselves disenfranchised. It’s not easy work and we are continually learning and growing as we take each step to create more opportunities and build a community here in the Metroplex.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Our proudest moment so far has to be the undying support of our community over the past eight years, through feast and famine. To have that kind of support from a group of friends and family is exactly what we hope to help others create for themselves and their communities. That kind of love and support modeled for us helps us feel confident continuing to do the work we feel called to do.
Pricing:
- $15/dozen
Contact Info:
- Address: 9114 Loma Vista Dr.
Dallas, TX 75243
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