Meet Audrey Neal and Alexa Benson of The Sweet Potato Bakery in East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Neal and Alexa Benson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We met about three years ago through a mutual friend at church. We are both pediatric occupational therapists, and our friend thought we should meet. Since we were both busy with work at the time, we didn’t really get to know each other until after our children were born and we started meeting up for weekly play dates. That is when we discovered our mutual love for baking.

Alexa had started a small, in-home bakery a few years ago, but she didn’t have much time to fulfill her passion on her own. She shared her vision with me, Audrey, and then the brainstorming began for how we could open a bakery together!

I, Audrey, have dealt with allergies most of my life, and now I am going through it again with my son. Before he was even a year old, I knew he had several food allergies. It has been a long journey, but the first food he was able to tolerate was a sweet potato! As a mom who loves to bake, I made it my mission to get in the kitchen and create allergy-friendly dessert options for my family.

Between Alexa’s dream to open her own bakery and my desire to share my allergy-friendly desserts, we felt like we could create a bakery that allows us to bake for everyone, those with allergies and those without!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We just opened our bakery this year with our first sale at the end of August. We are just getting started, selling out of our homes through custom orders and pop-up boutiques in the East Valley. There is so much to learn and navigate including social media, business expenses, business liability insurance, banking, LLC, and marketing. We also had a vision of spending afternoons baking together and creating new recipes together. Most of our meetings have dealt with creating a business plan, paperwork, and applications for various licenses-not really what we had in mind!

All these things add up, but we would say the biggest challenge is learning how to balance family time while working out of our homes. Our husbands and children have been great supporters, and we are so thankful for them!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Sweet Potato Bakery – what should we know?
We take great pride in providing allergy-friendly options. It just isn’t something you can easily find in the East Valley. We also know that people with food allergies typically have multiple food sensitivities, allergies, or intolerances. That is why we strive to provide something for everyone. Whether you follow a Paleo lifestyle, are on the AIP diet, or have multiple food allergies or sensitivities to some of the top food allergens like dairy, eggs, gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, coconuts, soy, nightshades, refined sugars, artificial dyes, or corn, we want everyone to have desserts that they love, enjoy, and most importantly, trust. We also have a few options for those without allergies (although all of our allergy-friendly options taste amazing and can be enjoyed by anyone)!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We can’t thank our husbands enough. From helping babysit our toddlers to washing dishes for us, they have supported us every step of the way, and we know they will continue to support us as we take these next steps forward with our bakery. We also want to thank our children. Running a business out of your home isn’t easy, and they have been flexible and have adapted to this change well.

We also wanted to thank our customers who have put their trust in us and our baked goods, especially since we are just getting started! We could not have gotten our business started without them, and for that, we are truly grateful!

Pricing:

• Cookies: $3
• Cupcakes and Specialty Items: $4
• Six items: $15
• One dozen items: $30

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thesweetpotatobakery.weebly.com/
• Email: thesweetpotatobakery@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesweetpotatobakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesweetpotatobakery/

Image Credit:
Amarlettering, Dharma Type

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