By Sophia Cao

Arizmendi Bakery, Inner Sunset’s beloved co-op, celebrated its 25th anniversary last month. For the first half of October, the bakery offered special pastries, like chocolate pecan rolls and chili crisp bialys in the store. They also celebrated with the community at the Inner Sunset Flea Market on Oct. 12, hosting a bustling booth with birthday cake, cookies and special prizes – bringing in old neighbors and new customers alike.

The bakery, located on Ninth Avenue between Irving and Judah streets, first opened in October of 2000 with the support of the Cheeseboard, a worker-owned collective in Berkeley. This was the second Arizmendi location after the first shop opened in 1997 on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland.

“It was really on the success of the Cheeseboard and the first Lakeshore Arizmendi that this place was able to thrive,” said worker-owner Sue Lopez, who has been with the bakery since it opened its doors.

As a 100% worker-owned business, all decisions are made with the consensus of the workers. Tasks are split equally and everyone helps each other.

“Sharing the role of ownership is such a unique and really wonderful way to operate a business,” said Heather Farnham, worker-owner at Arizmendi for more than 21 years. “If you have a stake in the business, you’re going to pay more attention. You’re going to make sure things are running more smoothly, because you have a personal investment, and that’s what you see here.”

New worker-owners also share this same investment. Stephen Houghton joined the bakery a year ago.

“Nothing’s below anyone, and no one’s above any task,” he said. “Everyone knows how to do everything.”

Houghton said one of his favorite tasks is making the dough, which is hand mixed daily and used in many of their baked goods. Farnham said that many Arizmendi-lovers would be surprised to know that the same dough is used for many of their products – from pizzas and baguettes to cheese rolls and more. The bakery prides itself on using only the best ingredients.

“We make sure to use high-quality chocolate, especially the cocoa powder and the dark chocolate,” Farnham said. “All of our olive oil is extra virgin, which we use for the focaccia, pizza oils and pizza vinaigrettes.”

What also makes Arizmendi stand out is its variety of baked goods and experimental products. Bakers are always coming up with new recipes and flavors, keeping many in the community delighted with a variety of products to try.

“You become a baker for some version of love,” Houghton said. “You love making the product, you love serving people, you love food.”

With the holiday season coming up, the bakery will offer candied orange and almond panettone, festive cookies, apple pies, sweet potato pies, pumpkin cheesecakes, chocolate hazelnut tortes and more.

While Arizmendi is a European-style bakery, it strives to keep its products diverse. Throughout the years, staff members have added new flavors, drawing from recipes from different cultures, and making products for different cultural events and holidays.

“We want to show people different foods from around the world, as the neighborhood grows and changes too,” Farnham said.

Throughout the past 25 years, many businesses have come and gone on Irving Street. Arizmendi claims to be a driver for the commercial expansion of this part of the Inner Sunset. The bakery is well-known for its presence in the neighborhood and its long lines of patrons lining the block.

“We’re lucky to have such a good community,” Lopez said.

Brian Braden is a hair stylist who has worked in the neighborhood for 43 years.

“I spend a lot of money (at Arizmendi),” Braden said at Arizmendi’s birthday celebration at the flea market. He said he loves having the bakery as a neighbor, and he cherishes the friendships he has with the workers.

“They know me (well) after 25 years,” he said.

Sarah Oburu and Christina Perez said they loved learning about the co-op, and both were delighted with the pastries they got at the flea market.

“I love how San Francisco is very mom-and-pop, like everything is very, very local,” said Oburu, who was visiting the City from Philadelphia. “We both got the focaccia. Fire! So good. All of it was so good, all of it was so fresh. You see me right now, like munching on it,” she said with a laugh.

“It was so good and it’s affordable,” Perez added.

Aiming for the next 25 years, Arizmendi worker-owners said they are excited to welcome new equipment, continue to grow staff diversity and welcome the next generation of bakers.

The bakery has an internship program for “teenagers of families who work here already,” Farnham said. “Bread is always going to have a place in the community.”

Houghton said, “It feels like a very special, unique place that is the heart and soul of why I love this City.”

Arizmendi Bakery is located at 1331 Ninth Ave. It is open Tuesday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Megan Robertson contributed to the reporting of this article.