Arizmendi Bakery, a Worker-Owned Cooperative, Part 1

Several of the worker/owners at Arizmendi Bakery on Ninth Avenue have been there since the place opened 22 years ago. Around half of them have worked there for two decades.

Continuing our series on San Francisco co-ops, this time we travel to the Inner Sunset and this special place that serves up so many delicious treats. Whether it's a morning pastry, an evening vegetarian pizza, or an delicious cookie for dessert, Arizmendi has got you covered.

In Part 1, Sue Lopez speaks to her own history as well as how the original spot in the East Bay, Berkeley's Cheese Board Collective, spawned what today is a Bay Area group of cooperative bakeries.

The conversation covers such topics as: what it meant for a co-op to expand to more than one location; the differences among Arizmendi/Cheese Board locations; how the Ninth Avenue location brings about new menu items; the cooperative movement of the late-1960s/early 1970s; the meaning of the name "Arizmendi"; opening the spot on Ninth Avenue, which was the third in the collective group; and the Inner Sunset community.

Check back next week to hear the stories of a couple other baker/owners of Arizmendi.

If you missed it, please go back and check out our episode with Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:
NOBAWC
 
This episode was recorded at Arizmendi Bakery on Ninth Avenue in the inner Sunset in November 2022.

Photography by Jeff Hunt