Sweets with a Side of Opportunity

By Lorrie Baumann

The Rubicon, as those who remember their world history classes – and no one else – will recall, was made famous by Julius Caesar’s decision to cross it on his way from Gaul to Rome, thus trespassing onto Italian soil and sparking a civil war. The incident has survived in the mythology of the Roman Empire as marking a point of no return, a border between past and future, and Julius Caesar’s determination to shape that future.

With a name so redolent of self-determination, one would expect Rubicon Bakers, located in Richmond, California to have a story of its own. “We’re more than a bakery,” said Rubicon Vice President of Marketing and Sales Catherine Trujillo. “For over 25 years we have helped rebuild lives by employing, training and supporting people who need a second chance. Many employees come to Rubicon from life on the streets, from prison or recently recovered from substance abuse. We provide employment so they can turn their lives around.”

Rubicon Bakers, founded in 1993 as a nonprofit organization benefiting those in need of second chances and job training, is now a privately-owned certified B Corporation that continues to embrace the mission with which it was founded as it grows into a national brand, currently selling its cakes, cupcakes, cookies and muffins in more than 2,500 stores nationwide. The company currently employs more than 200 people, recruited from local substance abuse programs and the re-entry programs at San Quentin State Prison, the Santa Rita Jail and other facilities. “We get a lot of walk-ins, too,” Trujillo said. “People know us in the community for the work we do.”

“One of our core values is compassion,” she continued. “We keep blinders off and our hearts open here. It’s our not-so-secret ingredient – compassion – and it’s baked into our products. There’s a lot of kindness and love in all of our business transactions. We love to collaborate with retailers that appreciate what we do and what we stand for.”

With more than 50 unique items in its product line, Rubicon Bakers is well known for its Mom’s Chocolate Cake. “It’s the cake that you wish your mother made,” Trujillo said. The company has also just launched four new vegan items, Vegan Chocolate Blackout Cake in a 4-inch format and a four-pack cupcakes format and Vegan Vanilla Cake in the same 4-inch format and four-pack cupcakes format. “We’re really excited to share these items with those who choose to eat a plant-based diet and those who don’t. They’re delicious, rich and decadent, and ready to be enjoyed by all types of eaters.”

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Like Rubicon’s other products, they’re made with clean, straightforward ingredients – vegan sugar, chocolate chips, non-GMO expeller-produced canola oil, with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. “All of our products are handmade. We make everything from scratch,” Trujillo said. “We use natural colors derived from vegetables and fruits… It’s something that we believe in with our ingredients. We always use clean, honest ingredients.”

Rubicon Bakers offers both retail-ready cakes and cupcakes and cake blanks in 8-inch rounds, 6-inch-rounds and 4-inch rounds as well as in cupcakes. They’re delivered frozen and ready to be frosted and decorated at store level. The 6-inch retail-ready cakes include several other flavors in addition to the Mom’s Chocolate Cake: California Lemon Cake is another everyday item, Trujillo said. “We love our lemons here in California,” she said. “We’ve had customers tell us it tastes like sunshine.”

Retail-ready cupcakes are filled and iced, and they’re also offered in several flavors. The Chocolate Cream Cupcake is particularly decadent, according to Trujillo – it’s filled with white cream filling, topped with ganache and hand-decorated.

A Pumpkin Pie Cupcake is offered during this fall season. It’s filled with pumpkin pie filling and frosted with cream cheese icing. “All of our items are hand-finished,” Trujillo said.

For more information, visit www.rubiconbakers.com.