Q&A: Atoria’s Family Bakery makes ancestral flatbread for modern-day palates, diets

Lilea Eshoo and her family are fond of telling people that Hewlett-Packard and Apple Computer aren’t the only successful Silicon Valley companies founded in a garage.

There’s also the business inspired by her grandmother, launched in a San Jose garage, nurtured by her parents and now being run by Lilea and her siblings, Rick and Inanna.

It’s Atoria’s Family Bakery, baking “clean recipe” flatbreads that are sold at hundreds of stores in 45 U.S. states, as well as online. Competing in the $130 million specialty-bread category against nearly 1,700 other products, Atoria’s boasts two breads in the top 50, their Traditional Lavash and their Whole Grain & Flax Lavash.

The traditional is, of course, a version of the flatbread that Atoria Eshoo, now 92, started baking at home — using a garage oven that her son Rene engineered — after they immigrated here in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution. The grain-flax variation represents how the current generation has innovated to meet changing consumer tastes.

We talked with Eshoo about the evolution of the business and the inspiration behind it. Here’s an edited version of that interview.

Q What makes Atoria’s lavash and other breads stand out in the marketplace?

A One big reason is that we’re a family-owned bakery. People care where their food comes from and who’s making it. Another reason is our clean and simple ingredient list. More and more customers are reading the back of the package to find ingredient lists and compare nutritional facts. And I think the biggest reason is that our breads taste darn good!

Q How has the customer base for lavash changed over the years?

A Initially, we were primarily selling to immigrants who had grown up eating lavash as a staple. Through the years, we’ve heard from many who were overjoyed at having found our bread and rediscovered a taste of their youth. Now, our customer base is diverse and we love it that way. We are delighted that people of all ages, backgrounds and dietary preferences have embraced this bread.

Q How has your bakery changed over the years?

A Just as our traditional lavash bread traveled and adjusted in size to become a part of a larger world community’s diet, we like to reciprocate and incorporate the needs of the larger consumer base.

For example, two years ago, we launched our Cauliflower & Coconut Mini Lavash to provide a lower-calorie, lower-carb option. It’s only 70 calories and 3g net carbs. We say this bread was baked at the intersection of keto-friendly and clean eating. It’s baked with only seven simple ingredients, compared to competitors who often use 30-plus ingredients.

Q Where do you source your ingredients?

A We source our non-GMO ingredients from all over the country. We do source some ingredients from local farms. The garlic we use in our Garlic Naan comes from our neighbors at Christopher Ranch here in Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world. And the red pepper puree we use in our Roasted Red Pepper Mini Lavash comes from a local farm, too.

Q Talk about bread baked with no artificial preservatives.

A Real bread should not sit on a shelf for weeks and still be fresh. Two ways we extend shelf life naturally are by adding oxygen absorbers to our packaging, which also helps with freshness, and by reminding shoppers to refrigerate or freeze the bread at home.

Q You rebranded in 2020 from California Lavash to Atoria’s Family Bakery. Why?

A We wanted to pay homage to our heritage (“Atoria” means a female of Assyrian descent) and we wanted a name that is more reflective of our roots and our family history. At the same time, we were expanding past California and outgrowing our name, which is a good thing. And we were selling more than lavash so it was getting harder to explain “California Lavash” lavash vs. “California Lavash” pita.

Q Which stores in California sell Atoria’s products?

A You can find us at Safeway, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Nob Hill, Raley’s, Mollie Stone’s, Bristol Farms and Lazy Acres. Not to mention many independent and local grocery stores. We’re sold online via Good Eggs, Imperfect Foods, Misfits, HungryRoot and also on our own website, shopatoriasfamilybakery.com.

Q When they see “lavash” most customers probably think of wraps. But the recipe index on your website shows some creative uses, even for desserts.

A We share a lot of recipes on Instagram and on our site. We also see people making the tastiest meals from our flatbreads and we get inspired. We’re talking “pop tarts” with pumpkin filling, cups that we fill with leftover Thanksgiving stuffing and gingerbread men “cookies” topped with sugar and spice. Making “cookies” from our lavash is a great way to get kids into the kitchen and build healthy habits. My kids love these and they are so easy.

Q You’re the experts. So what’s the secret to rolling lavash into a log for pinwheels so that the ingredients —
especially the spread — are evenly distributed?

A I used to go to events to teach kids how to make wraps. I would tell them that Atoria was the original “wrap artist”! There are three key steps to making a good wrap. First, spread your cream cheese, hummus or nut butter on the farthest half from you so you have a seal. Second, add your toppings on the other half of the lavash. Finally, roll lengthwise, starting the first fold right at the edge, and roll tight enough to keep the filling in place.

Q How are you marking the company’s 30th anniversary?

A To celebrate, we are giving back to the community of Atoria’s youth, the Assyrian towns near Iran, where Atoria first learned how to bake traditional flatbreads. Through the end of 2022, we are donating 100% of profits from the online sales of our Traditional Lavash — as well as sales of our limited-time 30th anniversary sweatshirts — directly to the Assyrian Aid Society education initiative, which serves more than 2,600 schoolchildren. All proceeds will go toward providing these students with adequate supplies, facilities, educators and transportation — empowering the next generation of dreamers like Atoria.

Q Family businesses don’t often make it to the third generation. What keeps you all going?