The Breads Roundup No. 93

15-Minute Grocery, The Soda Rush and Miami's Tech Boom

Dec 09, 2021

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Hello Subscribers Of My Dreams,

Yes there is a cream cheese shortage in New York. Yes I am doing ok. *whispering secretly* Yes I can sell you an eighth for the low if you need.

Aside from becoming a cream cheese baron I’ve been struggling a lot lately with social media if I’m being quite honest. It’s a delicate situation because I do genuinely enjoy it at times (Twitter and IG, specifically). And doing what I do they can be very useful tools for finding interesting things to write about or interesting people to know about. And of course in finding things to share with y’all.

But I’m also finding that I, and this is in no way a new or unique phenomenon, find I’m constantly comparing myself and my success to that of others on the platforms. I find myself getting into scroll holes and wondering what I’m missing or what I need to do more of or how I need to be networking better on these platforms. All the usual ills. It’s not good, but it is a reality I think a lot of us deal with in whatever small bubble the algorithm has caused us to belong to.

So. I’ve been trying to leave my phone in the other room more often when I’m at home working. It’s so easy to say I won’t go on my phone but when it is right next to me it is much harder to resist in practice. So I leave it in the other room and take periodic phone breaks. It works and helps. I’m slowly pulling myself out of the social media comparison hole, but yes you should all know that even someone with cream cheese out the ass and a very slowly growing newsletter can fall prey to the destructive parts of social media. Stay strong y’all.

Ok time for the usual linkies. Enjoy.

The Dark Side of 15-Minute Grocery Delivery

Just Give Me A Synopsis:
If you live in New York you may have noticed the rather high number of advertisements from various brands offering 15 minute grocery delivery. There are like 7 different ones (Gorillas, Fridge No More, GoPuff, etc.) that now provide this service. However the convenience comes with many different costs: exploited workers, less active neighborhoods, ghost storefronts, exaggerated inequality, etc.

And A Quote From The Article Please:

Laugh all we want, it’s exactly this addictive convenience that threatens to transform downtowns into dark cities, where the everyday commerce that gives streets their vitality has evaporated from view and been reconstituted on an app.

And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I was really curious about how all of these startups were functioning that I almost pitched an article about it, but didn't end up doing it, and now we have this great one to read. I think this article does a good job of highlighting causes for concern without stoking fear and acting like the world is ending. What this article actually does a great job of addressing though is that cities can very easily go in and create regulations around these sort of companies in order to make sure they are actually useful and accessible to all residents and not just exploitative companies that don't make money and don't actually help anyone all while destroying vibrant small business scenes (looking at you Uber and Doordash).

In The Mountain West, The ‘Dirty’ Soda Rush Is On

Just Give Me A Synopsis:
A few fun facts I learned from this one: the Mountain West is often times called "the Mormon Corridor" and also that Mormons are not allowed, in addition to alcohol, to drink to hot caffeinated beverages like coffee or tea. This gap in the market led to old fashioned (with new fangled branding and offerings) soda shops to flourish over the past few years in the area. Now they're using Starbucks as a North Star and looking to expand beyond their current home.

And A Quote From The Article Please:

Several of the major soda-shop chains in Utah — Swig, Sodalicious, Fiiz and others — are projecting aggressive growth in the next few years. Kevin Auernig, an owner of Sodalicious, said the 25-shop company will double its locations in the next three years. Fiiz started franchising five months after opening in 2014, and now has nearly 40 stores in Utah, Texas, Colorado, Idaho and Nevada, “with a bunch more in the hopper,” said the chain’s owner, Jason Anderson. There are 26 Twisted Sugar shops around the country, but by this time next year there could be nearly 100 franchises, said Tonia Jardine, an owner of the chain.

And Tell Me Why I should Care:
Well I'll be. Never knew that soda shops were still a thing. A very noteworthy case study on how regional, niche, chains can gain momentum locally in enough of a way to create a market elsewhere for themselves to expand into. I guarantee most investors from outside of the region would have scoffed at the idea of a soda shop given that Americans are drinking less and less soda (which is true) but now that a market has been shown, and proof-of-concept has been realized, it only makes sense under our current model of capitalism to expand at all costs. Speaking of niche food location I have an idea for a fruit bar if anyone wants to discuss with me. Bar as in location, not like a new kind of fig newton.

Miami's Tech Boom Started With A Tweet But Is Sustained By Much More Than Hype

Just Give Me A Synopsis:
You may recall about a year ago when the tech bro exodus began in Silicon Valley, migrating to warmer and cheaper (relatively speaking) places like Austin and Miami. Well this doesn't talk about Austin but it is all about Miami and how it may be more than just a viral joke started by a tweet. The tech and startup scene in the gaudiest city of America's most ridiculed state actually has deeper roots than one would think and may be in this for the long haul (or at least until it is still above water).

And A Quote From The Article Please:

The conventional wisdom around Miami’s tech scene is that it’s the invention of a bunch of tech bro tourists who traipsed into the city during the pandemic to summon a startup hub out of thin air (and will likely fizzle out just as fast as it arrived). But the truth is that Miami’s tech scene is the culmination of years, if not decades, of work by local entrepreneurs who have boosted the city’s legitimacy as a startup hub in the eyes of outside investors. After Suarez’s “How can I help?” tweet lit up social media, Miami’s startup founders pounced.

And Tell Me Why I should Care:
As the pandemic showed, work and progress and other things can be done anywhere and while Miami isn't exactly "nowhere" it is often seen as the playground of the wealthy and not so much a place for serious business to be done. Whether Miami, or any city for that matter, becoming a new tech hub is a good thing is another conversation entirely. We all saw what happened to the Bay Area and I don't think anybody, save for a few Stanford grads, likes what they witnessed. Startups, especially tech ones, no longer have to be from SF or NYC and can be and are taken seriously in places like Miami or Omaha or Denver. But also fuck big tech lol, I say as I publish this newsletter on Substack.

Other Newsletters You Should Check Out

Lots of newsletters out there. Lots indeed. You could say we’re in the middle of a newsletter boom. I’m subscribed to The Sample which I’ve come to appreciate recently. It sends you a sample of an edition from it’s large database of independent newsletters and then lets you one-click subscribe from there if you like it. It’s a great way to sample a ton of different ones without subscribing and it surfaces a lot of lesser known ones you probably wouldn’t otherwise find. I’ve found a few that I really love and read religiously now. Check it out.

Other Interesting Things You May Or May Not Care About

Inside The Funeral Industry's 2021 National Convention
These are the sort of insider stories I want to read about! I don't give a shit about the Miami tech boom (I know that was up above but what can I say my article devotion is fickle) but I do give a shit about how people who are surrounded by dead folks all day get their party on! Also fun fact from this piece, funeral service is apparently the "11th queerest profession in the US" and there is a real rift in the biz between the stodgy old white men who have been around forever and the new, young gay blood making waves.
The Ingenious Living Bridges Of India
These things are so freaking cool. People in this region of India use roots from giant fig trees to form functional bridges across the many streams and rivers in the area. They are more reliable and resistant to the elements than concrete or metal bridges and cost nothing but time. And now they are being studied to serve as inspiration for sustainable architecture in other parts of the world.
Meet The Proud Shoppers Of Aldi’s ‘Aisle Of Shame’
I love to read about niche online groups and this one is a dandy. Once a week Aldi puts out a themed aisle that has truly bizarre stuff and people flock to it. It's the grocery store equivalent of TJ Maxx where half the fun in shopping is the scavenger hunt you go through. These people all hang out together online to discuss their finds. They even have inside jokes.
“Dr. Fraud” Tells Us How To Avoid All The Most Common Travel Scams
This is an important read as we start traveling more. Basically make sure you double check the website URLs that you are booking on. Also us a VPN on public wifi! Also if someone tells you that there are hot single horny moms in your area well, there probably are somewhere, but that person on the internet ain't gonna help you find them.
The Bored Apes Take Manhattan
The most hype-y NFT project and it's members get profiled during NFT week in New York. I’m an NFT fan, this culty stuff not quite as much, but I do think a lot of that world has real, tangible value and is so important to the artistic community. I’ve been getting into NFT photography pretty heavy lately, so if you want to chat, holler at me.
Where Did All the Public Bathrooms Go?
America has an absolutely terrible record when it comes to places to go twosie in public. Restrooms available to all are damn near impossible to find and when you do find one they are usually in a public park and very gross and/or the site of an in-progress drug deal, which I have no problem with, but don't want to get caught in the middle of when I'm trying to relieve myself of the seven glasses of water I had that day. Pro tip: find the nearest Starbucks and walk in like you deserve to shit there.
The Cult of Liquid Death
A heavy metal canned water company is shooting up the charts. It found a niche in the market: people who like craft beers and/or alternative energy drinks, but want to drink water. Ain't mad at it, aluminum is far superior to plastic when it comes to recycling and staying hydrated is incredibly important, after all.

Brands I Quite Like

There are so many brands out there that are not cool or unique that I thought I would highlight new brands that I think are in fact doing dope things and are worth knowing about. This is not sponsored or full of affiliate links.

Ruby Hibiscus Water

Ruby is a hibiscus water. It’s slightly sweet. It’s tangy. It is delightfully refreshing. It makes a good mixer for other things and it looks pretty. It also comes in a glass bottle which is infinitely more recyclable than a plastic one. But what’s really great about it and why I’m including it in here is because the brand is weird as hell. They do all sorts of cool creative things like interviews and art and playlists and smart, esoteric-ass events. They also have a really good newsletter that doesn’t usually try to sell you shit. Check them out.

Let’s Just Looks At Art Because Reading Sucks

Lists Are What The Internet Was Made For!

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