Ep.23 / Pam Weekes & Connie McDonald, Founders, Levain Bakery

The Recipe for an Authentic Brand:

I was delighted to chat with Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, the founders of Levain Bakery. Over the course of 30 years, they have grown from one tiny shop on New York’s Upper West Side to a globally recognized brand famous for its six-ounce cookies (and coincidentally, my son’s favorite treats).

Unlike many modern startups focused on rapid growth, Pam and Connie prioritized a "lifestyle" approach for the first two decades that was all about locale and community. They said that “We grew the business the way that we wanted to live our lives”.

This conversation included:

• Intentional and steady scaling - it took 20 years to become an "overnight success"!

• People-first leadership built with "soul" and human connection rather than spreadsheets.

• Levain’s brand has remained remarkably consistent, with a logo and core identity that has barely changed since 1995.

• Their neighborhood focus and making instinctual decisions that make sense for the brand and community

• Why they decided to take significant investment after 23 years building

• Making the decision to step down as co-CEOs and bring in ‘proper’ operators

Both Pam and Connie pointed to Lauren Brill-Castle, the founder of Sweet Loren's. Lauren actually worked at the original Levain Bakery on 74th Street while she was in college. They admire her ability to manage a beautiful family while building an incredible brand. She looks like she has achieved a "great balance" that they sometimes struggled with while throwing themselves 100% into the bakery for 30 years.

Check out https://levainbakery.com/

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