Small Business Saturday: Thanks, It's Homemade of Apple Valley

 

Welcome all to Small Business Saturday! On this weekly segment, I will be highlighting small businesses in my local area. Some businesses I have had some experience with, some are people in my local communities that could use the spotlight. Regardless, this particular segment is the place you want to be if you're looking for something new and local to do. This segment will also feature non-profit businesses and charities too, so keep an eye out for those as well.

 

For my first interview, I hand selected a person I've been buying from since February. Originally, I had posted on Facebook just to find some local businesses I could partener with and start up a referral network. One of these people was Thanks, It's Homemade of Apple Valley. She posted some pictures of her products, and being a sweet tooth, I had to indulge my curiosity; I am so glad I did.

 

Over the months, I have spend my fair share of money on orders. I've gotten everything from homemade bagels and English muffins to macarons, cinnamon rolls, swiss cake rolls (favorite being the carrot cake one for Easter), cookie bars, brownie bars, scones, homemade granola, and so much more. I'm quite sure we've even gotten the sourdough loafs as well.

 

We have yet to be failed. My family has absolutely loved pretty much everything. We frequent her macarons a lot. We've tried other people's, but none quite hit the spot like Thanks, It's Homemade. I also actually feature her Cookie, Brownie, and Salted Caramel bars at my open houses, which have been loved by all who tried them. I highly recommend checking out her stuff.

 

This interview only highlights a small portion of the wonderful work Thanks, It's Homemade has done. There are way too many pictures to highlight. I highly suggest you try out this small home bakery because you will not regret it. 

 

Thanks for tuning in. See you next time...

 

What inspired you to start Thanks, It's Homemade? 

It started with a trip to Italy! Every morning we’d wander away from our hotel and ended up following our noses to these little hole-in-the-wall focaccerias selling slices from big slabs of freshly baked focaccia. I started dreaming that maybe “someday” I could open my own little hole-in-the-wall bakery. I’ve always loved baking and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t want to wait for “someday.” I don’t remember how I first learned about cottage food laws, but once I realized I could get started from home, things got real very fast!



What do you enjoy most about running your home bakery?

What I love most is the baking itself – it’s so much fun to try new recipes; to have a perfect loaf of bread come out of the oven; to see perfect feet on macarons. It’s really amazing to feel proud of something you made and then be able to share it with a customer who also enjoys it.



Do you have a favorite recipe or product that you make?

I love making bread just about any way, and focaccia and sourdough are probably the things I make most consistently for myself. Mostly, I love being able to try new recipes, and my “favorite thing” at any given time tends to jump around. The things I enjoy the most tend to be things that are unique, and somewhat challenging – an unbroken and moist swiss roll, macarons, and Nutella babka have all had their turn at the top over the last few months.

 

How do you come up with new recipes and ideas for your bakery?

I’d say it’s a mixture seeing what other bakers are doing, and following my own heart and stomach! Baking is one of my favorite creative outlets, and nostalgia often plays a roll as well 


What challenges have you faced since starting your business?

Plenty of baking-related snafus – you can do something right 100 times and then still have a bad bake, usually when it’s most inconvenient. But balancing the work with ~everything else~ has been the biggest challenge to work through. When I first started, I felt like I was spending all of my free-time either baking, reading about baking, or doing something else business-related, like working on pricing or packaging, looking into events, reading up on tax laws, and things like that. It was exciting, but also not sustainable while also working a full-time job, being a partner, etc. I’m continuing to work on finding balance, and being comfortable with the “slower” periods, which give me the downtime I need to rest and keep going.

How do you balance running a business with your personal life?

This is a work in progress (see above), but being a natural planner is a huge help – I sometimes have to get creative about spreading out tasks or getting ingredients prepped, but sitting down to plan things out ends up freeing up time to do other things. It helps that so much of baking involves waiting – I was pulling weeds while waiting for bread to prove today!

 

What are some of your best-selling items?

At home, cinnamon rolls, macarons, and cake slices – really, any sweet treats sell the best. When I participate in markets, the cinnamon rolls, sourdough, and focaccia all do really well.

How do you source your ingredients, and why is that important to you? 

In the beginning, I was almost exclusively focused on being economical and finding the best-priced ingredients I could (as long as I wasn’t sacrificing quality). I wanted to keep the price of my own goods low, because I think that fresh, homemade baked goods should be accessible to as many people as possible – not just a privilege that only a few can afford. I’m gradually swapping certain items for local products – like local honey and jams, eggs from local farms, and so on – because I love the idea of supporting other local businesses, and having truly fresh ingredients.


Can you describe a typical day in the life of a home baker?

I haven’t had any “typical” days, so far! It can vary widely since my business is mostly made-to-order right now – there are some days where I have multiple orders spread throughout the day, and days when I’m baking just for fun or to test something before adding it to my menu the next month.

 

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own home bakery?

The most impactful advice I took to heart when I started was just: get started! You can spend so much time practicing, researching, planning – but at some point, you just have to get out of your own way and put yourself out there. It can be really scary, but it’s better than never starting at all!


How has the community in Apple Valley responded to your bakery?

I’ve gotten really positive feedback from everyone I’ve baked for, and it’s been rare for someone to be a one-and-done customer.


What are your future plans for Thanks, It's Homemade?

Right now, I’m primarily focused on building my customer base and continuing to grow what I can do from home.  I’d love to be in a Farmer’s Market next year! If things continue to grow, Minnesota’s cottage food laws will probably lead me to exploring options outside of home – like renting commercial kitchen space or even opening a brick and mortar bakery someday!

 

Do you have any special or seasonal items that you offer throughout the year?

Yes – I’ve really enjoyed coming up with seasonal or Holiday-specific items – like carrot cake and hot cross buns at Easter and red velvet cake slices for Valentine’s Day. I’ve already started putting ideas together for Christmas – a mixture of nostalgia bakes from my own family traditions, and new items that I’m really excited for people to try!


How do you stay motivated and inspired in your business?

Baking is something I love to do – if I win the lottery someday, I’ll still be baking all the time! In terms of running a business – motivation comes and goes and I think the real trick is learning that you won’t be motivated all the time. At those points, sometimes it’s good to just rest – and other times, it’s about working through it because I know that what I do now will impact where I am in the future.


Do you collaborate with other local businesses or participate in local events?

Yes, attending local vendor markets has been a lot of fun! My next one is at a whiskey distillery at the end of July, and then I have several planned in the fall and during the holiday season.

 

What's the most rewarding part of owning Thanks, It's Homemade?

Hearing how much a customer enjoyed their order; and getting orders from repeat customers – it really never gets old!

How can customers place orders with you?

Currently, the best way is via social media (Facebook  or Instagram) via a direct message, or via email to homemadebakes.mn@gmail.com.


Is there anything else you'd like to share about your journey or your bakery?

Nope!