My name is Zach, and I’m the founder of Brass Monkey Bread Co. After four years of growing this bakery from a tiny home project into a beloved part of South Philly’s food and mutual aid community, I’m asking for your help to take the next step: opening a brick-and-mortar sourdough bakery rooted in craft, creativity, and community care.
I’m not asking the community to carry this alone —I’ll be taking out a loan, and I’m contributing my own money, an inheritance I received after losing both of my parents within a year of each other. Their love and legacy will live in this bakery.
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Why We’re Raising $100,000
️ Build-Out & Space Preparation
• Rent, deposits, and initial lease fees
• Electrical, plumbing, and ventilation upgrades
• Flooring, lighting, and accessibility improvements
⚙️ Commercial Bakery Equipment
• Mixers, ovens, and proofers
• Refrigeration and freezers
• Bagel kettle and production tools
• Stainless prep tables, sinks, and shelving
Licensing, Permits & Launch Costs
• Health department certifications
• Insurance
• Early payroll to support staff during startup
❤️ Community Infrastructure
• Free community pantry, fridge, and library
• Youth internship program setup
• Baking classes
• Artist & maker display installations
Your donations will directly match the personal $100,000 I’m investing, giving this bakery a strong, sustainable foundation.
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What Brass Monkey Bread Co. Will Offer
A sourdough bakery featuring:
• Naturally leavened bagels (classic + experimental)
• House-made schmears
• Rotating sourdough breads
• Signature Tomato Pie
• Seasonal sandwiches, soups & focaccias
• Locally roasted coffee
• Collaborations, specials, and limited drops
More than anything, it will be a space where people feel welcome, nourished, and connected.
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A Bakery Built on Community
Our future space will include:
• A free community pantry, fridge, & library
• Baking classes for kids and adults
• Internships and job opportunities for local residents
• Meeting space for community groups
• A rotating gallery for local artists & makers
• Fundraisers supporting mutual aid and grassroots organizations
We don’t just bake bread.
We build community — one loaf at a time.
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My Story: Teaching, Mental Health, Sourdough, and Finding a New Purpose
I started baking sourdough just before the pandemic. What began as a simple curiosity quickly became a grounding ritual — something steady and alive during an unstable time. Over the next four years, I honed my skills through experimentation, late-night bakes, early-morning shaping, and endless learning.
During this time, I was still teaching. For nearly 15 years — including 8 years at a Title 1 school in Kensington — I poured myself into my students, raising $24,000 for a media lab, building a hygiene closet, running food drives, career days and trying every day to make kids feel seen and supported. I was honored to receive the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2023.
But the emotional weight was heavy, and it eventually took a toll on my mental health. Sourdough became the thing that helped me cope — a rhythm that calmed my mind and gave me a sense of purpose outside the classroom.
As I baked more, Brass Monkey Bread Co. grew naturally: through pop-ups, community events, collaborations, and mutual aid. I reached a point where I felt called to take a leap, step away from teaching, and see if I could turn this bakery into something real.
Not long after making that decision, I lost both of my parents within the same year. Their passing left me battered, but not broken. The inheritance they left me — which I am contributing — became my way to honor them through something rooted in care, creativity, and community.
Sourdough helped me through burnout.
Community helped me through grief.
And Brass Monkey Bread Co. became the place where both could rise into something bigger.
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Why Sourdough?
Sourdough is alive.
It’s patient.
It’s resilient.
It teaches you to slow down, pay attention, and trust the process — the same lessons that guided and continue to guide me through depression, anxiety, and grief.
Bread brings people together.
Bread is comfort.
Bread is community.
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Why Your Support Matters
Your contribution will:
• Help build a neighborhood bakery with heart
• Create jobs and mentorship opportunities
• Expand community resources
• Support local artists and organizers
• Keep mutual aid at the center of our mission
This isn’t just a bakery.
It’s a community space, built with purpose.
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Help This Dream Rise — For Philly, For Community, For My Parents
If I have ever fed you, inspired you, or made you feel connected, I’m asking for your support.
Your donation helps create a space where every loaf rises for the people — and where my parents’ legacy rises with it.
Thank you for believing in me and my dream. We truly are in this together.
— Zach Posnan
Founder, Brass Monkey Bread Co.
Philadelphia, PA