Meet Matias Barang | Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matias Barang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matias, what do you want people to remember about you?
I want my legacy to be my entrepreneurial journey–the successes, hardships, and failures. The journey of starting small and growing with a grassroots approach. The journey of 18 hour days and a “keep going” attitude, and the unparalleled joy of sharing your passion with people who appreciate it. The journey of building a business where real people connect to you and your product, and who build the most important community of support.

I want my story to inspire others to pursue their craft and what they’re passionate about. In the world we live in, if you want to pursue your passion, you have to create a product or service with it. You have to find a way to make a living with what you love to do.

I want people to know that you can start out in your bedroom or home kitchen with an idea and turn it into something bigger than you ever imagined. You just have to put in the work. There is no going around that. The legacy is believing in what you do, listening to others doubt you, and making sure you keep taking one step at a time.

What do I want people to remember about me? I want people to remember how they got their Hasi Bread, and how they enjoyed it first. There’s nothing like the first time. I want them to remember what went into creating the Loaf, and why that first bite was kind of life changing. That I only want to create best product I could, and share it with you.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets us apart from other bakeries is of course our use of color (it goes deeper, trust me).

We use butterfly pea flower (blue) and turmeric (yellow) to not only pigment our breads, but to celebrate the art of bread making and the ingredients we use. From organic freshly milled flour (we do this in house), to our wild fermentation process, we bake sourdough because we believe in making the life changing kind.

Our turmeric is grown and milled for us by our friend Parvathi, who runs her own farm in India. The strain we’re currently using is a Salem variety and carries an aroma unlike any you can find at the store. It also contains a higher curcumin content (the anti-inflammatory component) than your average turmeric. Overall, super fragrant and potent stuff. Our organic butterfly pea flower comes from Thailand and renders a deep blue color and carries anti-oxidant properties.

Our organic, house milled grains consist of rye, spelt, and khorasan. Each wheat berry represents a piece of my story and heritage. Rye represents my Austrian bake roots (they use this in their dark breads). Khorasan represents my Afghan ancestry (this ancient wheat species originates in modern day Afghanistan). Lastly, spelt represents my California upbringing. This was the first berry I milled myself and incorporated into my bread.

Aside from using ingredients that mean something to us, our wild fermentation process is where we get the most out of them. Each batch is fermented for 12-24 hours to develop classic sourdough flavor, and to provide a more digestible loaf. We have many customers who claim Häsi Bread is the only bread they can eat (folks with celiac, this is not for you)!

I love explaining my process to people. It’s how I got to where we are today as a business. Sharing bread at the farmer’s markets. Brining a loaf to every party I ever went to. It’s a bottom up approach and it’s my favorite part of being a baker and owner of a business.

The journey was, and is, never easy. Even now, I’m typing this up at 10pm after a full day at the bakery and my alarm is set to 4AM for another one. Except tomorrow is a little longer. I’ve got to bake in the morning and then head straight to the farmer’s market until 6pm! There have been days where all I want to do is give up. Fall asleep at the wheel and make it all go away. Those are hard days. But you have to tell yourself to keep going, especially when you feel like you’re going to break. Those are the most important moments. But we can only really talk about them once we’re on the the other side of the rollercoaster lol.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that being an entrepreneur means signing up for a life of the highest highs, and the lowest lows. The greatest and most fulfilling rewards (definitely not money), and impossible obstacles. Being an entrepreneur means building the muscle to take on more, year after year. Exercising that muscle means pushing yourself at every corner, changing, adapting, and restarting when you need to.

I want the world to know that Häsi followed that path. Still learning, always pushing. Striving to create an inspiring product, both for you and for us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
1. Wake up: 5AM in Santa Monica 2. Sunrise surf (El porto, Sunset Beach, or Venice depending on conditions)
3. Coffee (Gnarwhal, 10 Speed, or Erewhon for one stop shop)
4. Skate to Ocean Front walk
5. Picnic on the grass with Häsi Bread sandwiches and bubbly beverages.
6. Afternoon nap
7. Griffith Observatory for the museum tour and sunset views.
8. Dinner at Felix Tratorria
9. Drive in movie at the Santa Monica airport (or other Rooftop Cinema Club)
10. Bed time!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Firstly, I want to shoutout my parents for letting me bake bread at their house! Late nights in the kitchen, to later letting me build out a micro-bakery out in they driveway. Literally the foundation of my business and where it all began. My sister in law and her family’s bakery “Da Sticklerbäck”. They inspired my journey and the beauty of making bread the old way. They’ve been doing it for 4 generations and I’m proud to continue the tradition.
My friend and former boss Alan. He taught me everything I know about starting a business from nothing but an idea and hard work.
Dawn—she is the most supportive person in my life and always comes in with brilliant ideas.
My day 1 friends and customers who believed in Häsi. You know who you are!

Website: www.hasibread.com

Instagram: hasibread