We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Toula Argentis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Toula, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

This dream all started over 20 years ago, when my eldest son was diagnosed with a number of allergies which were causing him physical and emotional problems. Being raised in a Greek household, my mom taught me to bake and cook; I fell in love with baking from a small age. Once I realized that my son needed to be gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, I bought some gluten free baking books and started my journey.
It was a very difficult journey, because I had never baked with non wheat flour flour types. I followed the recipes and in most cases, especially with breads, the results were mediocre. We could not eat most of the items I was baking; I threw out most of the items I was baking; I was very discouraged. During that time, there were not many gluten free options; and what was available did not taste good and was very expensive.
I was really challenged and I do not give up very easily. So I continued to experiment. After a few years, I abandoned my gluten free cookbooks, and starting converting regular bread, and cake recipes to their gluten free and dairy free version. My journey to success was just starting! I finally was able to create goodies that tasted great and received my children’s approval.

Little did I realize that we would eventually be helping many others with their allergies.
With my new found confidence we created vegan baked goods as well as paleo and keto options.
We started selling our baked goods at Farmers Markets for 3 years, before opening our first retail store. The rest is history.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. My parents are immigrants for Greece; I am a first generation Greek Canadian. My love for baking came from my mom, who constantly baked and cooked at home.
We baked constantly especially during the major holidays.
In the summer we would make loukoumades (Greek beignets), which are amazing, covered in honey and cinnamon.
I also learned to help people. My baking now not only pleases people but it helps them with their allergies. It allows for healthy eating and a better lifestyle overall.
I put my heart in anything I do and I pour love in everything we bake.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I was fortunate enough to personally fund our business. As we continue to grow I am able to obtain financing from a variety of sources.

However, I am not yet ready to give up equity for financing.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Starting a bakery from scratch is not an easy task. When I first started, I did not have a clue about what this business entailed.

Long days, long nights/early baking/staffing issues, the cost of doing business, and most importantly creating a brand that I am able to support.

During this journey I had a few family tragedies, however, I used my business to heal and help others in the process.

My goal is to grow and be strong in order to be able to help others; do philanthropic work in areas I truly believe in.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.2bwhole.net
• Instagram: 2bwhole_bakery
• Facebook: 2bwhole
• Linkedin: 2b Whole European Gluten-Free Bakery
• Twitter: 2bwhole
• Yelp: 2B Whole Gluten-Free Bakery