Beloved Gusto Bread bakery sees success after small business program at Long Beach City College

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- While it can be very rewarding, creating a business from scratch can be full of hardships. Long Beach offers many resources to help aid the process of starting up a new business.

Thanks to business programs offered by Long Beach City College, small business owners receive the knowledge and skills in negotiation, marketing and employee management that can immediately be put into action.

Arturo Enciso, a first-time business owner, found the help he needed to start up his artisanal bakery Gusto Bread through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, administered through LBCC.

"There were like 10 of us, and we met for like a month once a week. We were able to share our business, our stories, and essentially come up with our plans for growth," Enciso said.

With a passion for creativity and a love for his city, Enciso and his wife, Ana Belén Salatino, are open five days a week at Gusto Bread on Fourth Street serving up an array of breads and drinks to the Long Beach community.

Enciso, 33, a Bakersfield native, grew up visiting family in Long Beach and found the city worthy of being called his forever home.

In 2013, Enciso and his wife decided to make a permanent move to Long Beach, moving all their belongings into a home with a small woodfire oven tucked into the corner of their backyard.

A musician and creator at heart, Enciso took interest in the oven offering him new possibilities and hobbies. This woodfire oven led to the creation of Gusto Bread, one of the many Latinx owned small businesses lining the streets of Long Beach.

"I kind of stumbled upon bread by accident," said Enciso. "I just attempted to learn to use [the oven], and I just really didn't stop, it got me hooked."

The family-owned business was a finalist for the 2024 James Beard Award for outstanding bakery. The award "honors those who are creating exceptional food, food media content and better food systems while demonstrating a commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive," said the organization's website.

The Goldman Sachs Program maintains a 99% completion rate, and receives reports claiming to have succeeded in increasing 63% of revenues, 47% of students starting new businesses and 76% of people going into business with one another after the completion of the program.

"I think the courses are an amazing tool for people starting off a business," said Denise Maldenado, owner of the Latinx coffee shop Confidential Coffee, located on Sixth Street, who applied to the program in 2023. "There are so many moving parts when starting off that a proper guide will make the process easier to handle. I'd highly recommend the program to anyone starting a business."

Those that have been catering to their community already can also apply to LBCC small business programs to get help and grow their business.

"One of my clients actually referred me to LBCC for their small business development," said Marie Rolla, owner of the Latinx and LGBTQ-run salon, Black Sheep Salon on Willow Street. "I'm definitely looking forward to finding some organized help with my business."

For small business owners of all races, genders, and sexual orientations, the city of Long Beach tries to offer support through their City Small Business Loan Programs, which can help get your small business off the ground and take it to the next level.

This article was written by Elizabeth Carroll, a CSU Long Beach journalism student, with the aid of ABC7, and is a collaboration with ENYE, a CSULB journalism school news outlet.