HI, we are Jim and Lupe Costello, owners of Great Harvest Bread Company, and longtime residents of the Conejo Valley. In fact, Jim grew up here, having moved to Thousand Oaks as an infant with his family in 1961 at a time when there were, quite literally more cows than people around these parts. Some of Jim's earliest baking instincts were developed as a child, licking the chocolate-chip cookie dough from his mom's mixing bowls (don't worry; he's outgrown that obsession. Besides, have you seen the size of our mixing bowls!?) He's an alumnus of Thousand Oaks High School, Moorpark College, CSUN, Pepperdine University and CLU with degrees in management and finance. He's left behind managerial positions in finance and strategic planning at huge corporations to open his version of a lemonade stand - Great Harvest Bread Company.

Lupe was born in Jalisco, Mexico and moved to the United States as a teenager. Her passion is quality, and her resume reflects that with a career in the aerospace and high-technology industries focusing on precision manufacturing, prototype development and quality assurance programs. Together, we are raising our two teenage sons right here in our community.

At Great Harvest, we're excited because we get to actually practice what most companies only preach; things like connecting personally with our customers and valuing them above all else because truly, without you we are nowhere, Like producing only the highest quality (and the most delicious) products that we know how, and like recognizing that we have to treat our employees well before we can ever expect them to treat our customers well. These are simple ideas, but rare qualities.

We fell in love with the idea of making the freshest, best tasting, and most honest products you can find. The fact that our wheat is meticulously sourced and milled fresh into flour each day makes our products better than anything you can find out there. The fact that our bread is both wholesome AND delicious is what really sold us on the idea - it's a great feeling to know that we're making and selling food that people will absolutely love! In fact, we guarantee it.

We truly want our store to be a vital part of the community. We never want to be just another storefront on the retail landscape. That's why we're always on the lookout for events where we can give away free slices, charities seeking donations, offices that could benefit from some great cookies, and any way that we can help put a smile on YOUR face! We're excited about our new store, and hope that you will be too. Please drop by and see us for a free slice of bread today!

Warmest regards,
Jim & Lupe Costello