Inspiring Conversations with Guerilla Bizkits

Today we’d like to introduce you to Guerilla Bizkits. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
GB started the same way as most est. 2020 pop-ups started – we lost our jobs due to a combination of the March 2020 tornado and the pandemic. Stuck in our home, we dove deep into comfort food. What resulted was the best damn bizkit we’ve ever had. With a new project just begging to be started along with Zach’s background in design, Ali’s background in food, and their combined background in marketing, GB was born. We took an indefinite break March 2021 after losing our kitchen alongside severe health issues, putting GB in a place of uncertainty. GB made its return with the grand opening of our East Nashville storefront during Tomato Fest this past summer. Since then, we’ve been very busy baking bizkits. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
From mental to physical health and beyond, we’ve hit many bumps along the way. We’ve learned that balancing is a fine art that we are in the process of mastering. Between cleaning our home, playing accountant, taking care of our pets, purchasing ingredients, seeing our friends, creating content and so many other aspects of the small biz life vs. daily life, we’ve frequently had to check ourselves and each other to ensure we are doing what we want, what we believe in and what we need to be happy, healthy and impactful. With Ali’s physical health issues, we’ve had to completely change our operation, including who is present to accept deliveries, how we make the bizkits, who does the dishes, how we set up for pop-ups. 

In our first 10 months of operation, we moved rental kitchens three times, from Fairview to East Nashville to Wedgewood-Houston. We’ve worked out of an old cafe, a state-of-the-art commissary kitchen, even a room with just a table and a freezer. The quality of bizkits drastically depends on the environment in which they’re made – moving so frequently definitely kept us on our toes and, at the end of the day, made us better bakers that are able to adjust to new conditions. 

We’ve been impressed with Guerilla Bizkits, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Guerilla Bizkits is about more than just food, but we will say we make one hell of a bizkit. We’ve made a commitment to three original characteristics of our biz: colorful in character, compassionate in creation, and punk in ethos. While our brand is quite literally colorful and bold, we’ve also opted to embrace the unique through supporting local artists and small businesses. Two of our fav projects are our artist series paper bags, with art from locals like Gabby Herrera and Savithri Velaga, and our bizkit candle, locally molded, poured, and scented by Emily Hollis. It’s a huge privilege to be able to support locals, support artists, and support women vis-à-vis our biz. 

We’re are fully vegan, from our materials to our food to our nature of operations, so compassion is at the center of everything we do. We are proud to be at the center of the fight for total liberation and to stand against domination by those in power, all forms of discrimination, the commodification of life, and the normalization of oppression – you can probably see where the punk ethos comes in here. We give back what and when we can. Some of our regular actions include contributing to mutual aid requests, stocking and cleaning the Nashville Community Fridge at Elephant Gallery, participating in Lou bake sales, and purchasing from local farms. 

Something that piques the interest in our brand for a lot of people is exactly that, our brand. We’re both “big picture” people with the ability to focus in on the details to complete it. Zach’s design background includes clients like Playboy, Alife, and Pleasures, and a lot of his work for GB has made reference to the cultural phenomenality and history of streetwear, hip-hop, rap, and skating. Add that to his corporate work for places like Journey’s and SmileDirectClub, Zach is the creative director that created a unique visual identity for GB. Ali’s academic background has given our voice a well-rounded identity that conveys… well our normal voices. 

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The pandemic has completely changed how we view, utilize, and value our time. Personally, we’ve learned a lot about how we really enjoy spending our time together – a lesson we learned during the earlier months of lockdown when we had 0 obligations and nowhere to go. In terms of the biz, it has allowed us to put our foot down and stand up to people who don’t value us or our time, be it based on our age, what we stand for, our use of curse words, or the fact that we don’t take shit. 

Pricing:

• Bizkit – $4 fresh
• Bizkit – $10 frozen 3-pack

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.bizkits.biz
• Instagram: @guerillabizkits
• Facebook: facebook.com/guerillabizkits

Image Credits
Adam Alonzo
Cymone Wilder
Manecoon Signs