Nana Hammond, the founder and owner of Jacksonville, Florida-based Black-owned bakery, Jax Bread Co., says that she is very grateful for her continued success as an entrepreneur despite the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of grants and loans, she and her family have been able to keep their operation going and serving the community.
Nana and her family settled in Jacksonville, Florida after migrating from London 13 years ago. She then started baking bread for her family on her own when she wasn't satisfied with the quality of bread available in their area.
"The first loaf of bread we bought actually sat on our shelf for two weeks -- no mold, it didn't stale, nothing at all happened to it," Nana told News4Jax. "We're like, 'No, we can't be consuming this and we need to find something.' But with no luck, we decided, 'Okay, let's start baking our own product.'"
Eventually, her baking hobby became a business. Hammond and her family opened their storefront bakery which offers European-style foods and baked goods. They make sure that their products are made from scratch and don't include preservatives or any additives.
"Everything that you get from here, from our cookies to our sandwiches, we make all of that in house," she said. "And we make sure that whatever someone is putting in their mouth is as clean as possible, and we have a bit of something for everybody -- vegan, vegetarian, meat-lovers."
Moreover, they are thankful for the support they are getting from people of all races and especially the Black community. Through that as well as the Paycheck Protection Program loan and grants, they managed to stay afloat despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information about Jax Bread Co., visit www.jaxbread.com