STOCKTON, Calif. — The coronavirus has thrown many small businesses for a loop over the past 12 months. Between openings, closings and reopenings, many weren't able to survive.
However, with help from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), city grants and constant customer support, the 103-year-old Genova Bakery in Stockton has been able to survive.
"It hasn't been a super easy year," Tim Canevari, Genova Bakery owner, said.
Genova Bakery was first opened in 1918 by Angelo Rolleri, who had come to Stockton from Italy when he was 18 years old. Caneveri remembered going to the bakery as a kid with his dad, and later, when he was in high school began his baking career at Genova. And in 2004, Canevari came back to run the business.
Since its founding, the bakery had persevered through the Great Depression, the recession of the early 2000s, and other hardships. Despite it all, it never had any employee layoffs. The grants and loans Canevari received during the pandemic allowed him to keep all his staff.
"Our employees have bills to pay themselves and have families to support, so that was heavy on my mind not to lay people off," Canevari explained.
Genova Bakery is a bread production facility, and also a deli and market, that Canevari said, has kept most of its charm. The original wooden planked floors, cabinets, counter tops and even the swinging front doors are still the same.
Canevari said the shutdowns heavily impacted the wholesale side of his business, which is where the majority of Genova's sales come from. The bakery supplies restaurants and delis in Sacramento, Lodi and Modesto, but when those businesses shut down, so did deliveries.
That's when the retail side began to carry his business.
"Our store picked up," Canevari said. "We were already a to-go place. We don't have inside seating, so we were already set up for that."
The French and milk bread recipes are original. Canevari has since added several other breads of his own, as well.
Canevari said caring for employees and quality ingredients have been the keys to Genova Bakery's success through the years, along with loyal customers.
"We have a great customer base," Canevari explained. "That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re here 103 years later."
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