{"id":311092,"date":"2019-10-31T06:10:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T20:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=311092"},"modified":"2019-10-31T06:10:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T20:10:44","slug":"hermans-modern-bakery-celebrates-75-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/hermans-modern-bakery-celebrates-75-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery celebrates 75 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The old Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery in Chalan Kanoa near the U.S. Post Office. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery was founded from the ashes of World War II, soon after the Commonwealth crawled out of the stupor and misery of war in 1944. Herman R. Guerrero and his wife, Maria C. Tenorio-Guerrero, were driven by the idea that, through baking, generosity flows.<\/p>\n

Throughout the years, that seed of an idea was nurtured and cultivated by the couple\u2019s descendants, starting with their children\u2014Jesus \u201cChung\u2019 Guerrero, Agnes Guerrero, Herman T. Guerrero, Juan \u201cPan\u201d Guerrero, Florencio \u201cBobby\u201d\u2019 Guerrero, Margarita Guerrero, Annie G. Hayes, Rudolfo Guerrero, Joseph \u201cLee Pan\u201d Guerrero and Leonora Guerrero\u2014who carefully reared the seeds of that idea and used it to expand some more, making the bakery a sanctuary of locally produced bread and pastries that caters to a diverse market here and abroad and as a medium to \u2018give back to the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

According to Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery chief executive officer Herman T. Guerrero, he and his family do not have a definite date as to when the first bakery opened 75 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the stories of relatives and family friends, at the tail end of the war, the Japanese and local people were gathered in Camp Susupe and Camp Chalan Kanoa and the U.S. military was looking for a baker to feed them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGregorio Sablan, the grandfather of Congressman Kilili, who was a respected elder, was neighbors with my grandparents and knew that my father [Herman R. Guerrero] used to work at a Japanese bakery called \u2018Shimada Bakery\u2019 in Garapan. Sablan recommended my father,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Immediately after that, Herman R. Guerrero was conscripted by the U.S. military to bake bread to feed Camp Susupe.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the indigenous residents were separated from the Japanese and were brought to Camp Chalan Kanoa. That is where Herman R. Guerrero expanded his customers to include the local residents.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Herman R. Guerrero and U.S. military officials inspect Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery in Chalan Kanoa. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the war, Herman R. Guerrero continued baking and the U.S. military encouraged him to turn it into a business.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was given equipment and contacts of suppliers,\u201d said HMB general manager Annie G. Hayes. \u201cMy father was actually allowed to bring in the flour and other ingredients that he needed to produce the products [everyday]. \u2026They also suggested that he start charging perhaps 5 cents for a loaf of bread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery was born. The first official Herman\u2019s bakery was located near the post office in Chalan Kanoa, behind the site where the Kevin\u2019s Department Store used to be, and this was the transition from feeding a camp to the birth of a business. It was in 1979 that the main bakery along Airport Road opened.<\/p>\n

When the first bakery opened, generosity was but a natural part of the operations. Aside from continuing to help the community, they also gave free bread to the Mercedarian nuns and priests for a number of years until the convent started baking their own bread.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother used to say that when the church asks for something, do not hesitate to give,\u201d Herman T. Guerrero said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery president Herman T. Guerrero poses by the family wall that tells the story about the 75 years that the bakery has been in business and the Guerrero clan who makes it successful and carry out their parents\u2019 legacy to this day. (Bea Cabrera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He recalls that the bakery\u2019s first customers knew when to go to the store to get freshly baked bread. \u201cThe late Bishop Camacho used to say that he could smell at a certain time of day when the bread is ready because the scent permeates though the neighborhood. People will just come and buy and for only 5 cents they can get a big loaf of bread,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur early products were the loaf bread, sweet bread and pastries like the Chamorro and sponge cake. \u2026These were the products that the elders remember eating in the early years of the bakery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As the years passed, Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery just kept adding products that were popular with their customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we find a recipe, we develop them to do some sampling and we pick a day when we have a lot of foot traffic and then we just have it available for customers to \u2018taste test\u2019 it. It is through them that we know if a product is worth pursuing as we rely on their feedback,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n

They also do it when a recently hired baker comes aboard, whether they have a specialty, or a particular recipe that they have done over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would ask them, \u2018What is your best product or cake that you can produce,\u2019 then we have them do it and we do sampling. If we like it personally, then we develop it further,\u201d Hayes added.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery has earned a lot of awards and accolades but the ones that are appreciated the most are those that are earned because of dedication and hard work. \u201cWe are the only bakery establishment on island that is U.S. military-certified. They come in periodically and if they say we need to improve on some things, we comply and submit the papers,\u201d Herman T. Guerrero said.
\nThe company also deals with safety issues every day because Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery serves the man\u2019amko (the elderly), public schools, and it needs to meet federal requirements to maintain its military certification.<\/p>\n

As they celebrate their 75th anniversary this year, Herman T. Guerrero said the journey has always been a collaboration between his family and the entire community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been always about the community. \u2026If you have a family and you are responsible for providing and feeding them, you want to make sure that the quality is there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur parents with the help of my father\u2019s siblings Jose and Juan and the rest family have always been baking bread for the entire community and we aim to continue and pursue that. Whether we are still around or not, the future generation of Herman\u2019s Modern Bakery will continue to maintain the quality of our bread,\u201d he promised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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