Inspiring Conversations with Bee-Lian and Bee-Chin Quah of Two Bees Bakery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bee-Lian and Bee-Chin Quah.

Hi Bee-Lian and Bee-Chin; so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We’ve always enjoyed baking and cake decorating. As kids, we took Wilton cake decorating classes with our mom at Michael’s. It has been a hobby ever since, primarily just for family and friends. However, after making custom cookies for a family quinceañera, we decided it might be fun to start a home-based business to provide custom-baked goods for special events. We both have office jobs for our day jobs, so we needed a more creative outlet to de-stress and spend more time together outside work. We started with sugar cookies but have since expanded to cakes and other bakery items, and we also hold cookie decorating classes and parties. One of us was allergic to eggs growing up, which meant missing out on many birthday cakes; this has made us more sensitive to the specific needs that some customers might have, so we are continuously expanding our collection of recipes to include ones that meet special dietary needs. We’ve only been doing this for a year, so we look forward to seeing how our business can grow and evolve!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a relatively smooth road so far! No enormous challenges yet! The biggest challenge is finding the time to work on orders between our day jobs and other commitments. It has also been challenging running this as a home-based business under the Arizona Cottage Food Program; sometimes, we find some great recipes we’d like to try, but we’d have to adapt them to abide by the allowed ingredients. There are also a lot of other little challenges that pop up along the way, especially when we’re expanding into new products, like finding an easy and safe way to transport cake pops!

We’ve been impressed with Two Bees Bakery, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
Two Bees Bakery is a home-based bakery that focuses on custom baked goods for special events that look great and taste delicious. We enjoy working with customers to take their ideas and inspiration to create a dessert that fits with the theme of their event. We also have a lot of fun teaching cookie decorating classes, whether for a girl scout troop, community clubhouse event, or a team-building event! Through this journey, we’ve encountered challenges and gaps in what’s easily accessible for home bakers, such as packaging, transporting finished products, presentation, etc. We are exploring ways to tackle these challenges to find solutions that are accessible and affordable, so our peers in this industry can focus on their art and grow their businesses!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We accept custom orders and class requests through email, phone, or social media. We are also open to partnerships with companies in the events industry.

Pricing:

• Cookies start at $54 per dozen
• Cakes start at $36 for a 4” round, 2-layer cake
• Classes start at $40/person, minimum 8 people
• Please get in touch with us with any other price inquiries

Contact Info:

• Website: www.2beesbakery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2beesbakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2beesbakery/