bright bread co
handmade with love
5-ingredient bread loaves inspired by their South African heritage, born from tough times endured by the Zakhour family.
Chloe Zakhour (pictured above, bread in mouth) and I hop on a zoom call the week after Thanksgiving. It’s pitch dark for me, sunny and vivid for her. We make small talk about the time difference, the upcoming holidays and her recent graduation from the University of San Diego.
She starts at the beginning of Bright Bread Co., a family-run baking business launched during the pandemic. Chloe, the oldest of four children, lost her father suddenly three days before Christmas in 2018. Her mother took on work to provide for the Zakhour children, her youngest brother just nine-years-old. She lost her job due to pandemic layoffs, and the Zakhour family found themselves at a crossroads.
known for food
“My dad was Lebanese and my mom is South African. We’ve grown up around good food all of our lives,” explained Chloe.
“Why don’t we sell food? Why don’t we bake? Everyone knows us for food,” the Zakhour’s thought.
The concept for the brand, Bright Bread Co., came to Chloe in the shower. “I figure things out in the shower,” she explained. She would run the social media and marketing, her and her sisters would manage the deliveries and her mother and grandmother would bake.
what’s on the menu?
You guessed it- bread. Grandmother Angela Bright, head baker at the Bright Bread Co., is famous for her 5 ingredient bread loaves, all hand knead and prepared in the Zakhour family kitchen. The clean ingredients are conducive to customizations, add-ons and dietary restrictions, including gluten allergies, vegan and dairy free options.
When asked how Grandma is adjusting to the Bright Bread Co., success, “she’s doing great,” laughed Chloe. “She thinks she’s famous.”
The banana bread, their best seller, is Charisse Zakhour’s specialty.
“My mom used to make it for my dad,” Chloe explained. “She’s always been really good at making healthy recipes that still taste good. People are amazed when they try it.”
special delivery
Chloe recalled with humor that when the Zakhour’s first started baking, they drove all over Orange County looking for flour. Everyone was baking at the time, so why buy from Bright Bread Co., and how would they help people feel safe during a pandemic?
Chloe, Amber and Kayla, the Zakhour sisters, personally deliver each loaf of bread and their recently-added charcuterie boards to their customer’s doorstep, in full masks and protective gear.
They’ve gotten to knock on some pretty cool doors, including Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Emily Simpson, YouTube personality Delaney Childs and fashion editor Lydia Mclaughlin.
The Zakhour’s take a lot of pride in their identity as a woman-owned and operated business, but the inspiration behind Bright Bread Co. remains their late father and husband.
“We relied so heavily on my dad for his guidance and wisdom, and to lose him suddenly was so hard,” Chloe said. “But now we’ve built this huge thing all by ourselves, and I like to think we’re making him proud.”
Follow the Bright Bread Co. on instagram for business updates and good food content.