Meet Sarah Stanley of Hannah Cakes in North

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Stanley.

Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a young child, I loved being in the kitchen and creating dishes. One vivid memory is when I was about four years young and I created a concoction for my mother that included freshly made yogurt and raisins. I don’t remember if it was edible or not!

Being the oldest of eight children, I prepared most of our meals. I made everything from scratch, including grinding the wheat berries into flour. Breakfast and baked goods were some of my favorite dishes to create.

For my 14th birthday, my grandfather got me a subscription to a brand new magazine that just launched, Taste Of Home. I look forward to every new issue in my mailbox! I adapted the recipes to accommodate our family’s health-conscious values- raw honey in place of sugar, organic whole wheat flour instead of white flour and fresh fruit in place of canned fruit. I enjoyed the challenge of adjusting measurements, thinking of suitable substitutions and having the freedom to create!

My first specific memory of entrepreneurship that happened when I was about 10 years old. I made organic chocolate chip cookies and took them to a local co-op. This was my first pitch! However, I was turned down. (Note: I don’t recommend saying no to children who are being proactive!) This didn’t deter me and a few years later, throughout high school, I started my bakery and sold at a very popular farmer’s market in the Washington, D.C. area. Two sisters were also part of this project and we would get up very, very early on Friday mornings (2 am early) to handmake organic pie crusts, tarts, rolls with fresh herbs from our organic farm, cookies, and mini bundt cakes. I would use seasonal fruits in our pies and cakes. I loved being able to not only make delicious food but also sell it and see the joy people experienced when they took their first bite!

Because health and nutrition played a huge role in my childhood, this passion continued throughout my life, after my high school baking years. This would play a key role many years later!

I continued to bake and cook from scratch keeping my wellness values in alignment. During Christmas one year, my friend, Hannah, had many food sensitivities. I make Christmas cookies for my friends and I was perplexed what to make her! My kitchen experience came in handy though and I mixed a little of this and a little of that and invented what is now known as Hannah Cakes. I loved using hemp seeds in my nutritional lifestyle and as I was thinking of what to use in place of tree nuts in this particular recipe, I tried hemp seeds and it worked! Hannah Cakes are free from the top nine: gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, corn, shellfish. Not only was I able to create a cookie that was allergy-friendly, but it also contained nutritional benefits as a bonus.

A few months later I became a 100% single parent/mama to my baby and needed to figure out a way to support us while raising him. I felt that I was given a gift in being able to create delicious products that people needed. I’ve been selling online and at farmer’s markets the last few seasons and have my sights set on growing this business to fully support me and my baby son!

I’ve created additional products including mixes and other baked goods, keeping with the allergy-friendly theme. The brownie I’ve created is top 9 free and also features hemp seeds. It’s becoming a best seller already!

Has it been a smooth road?
Do anything of value will have its challenges and struggles. Starting a business all the while raising a baby full-time, is not for the faint of heart! I’m also operating as a debt-free business. It’s great to be debt-free but with that, there are things that I have to say no to because I don’t have the cash for it. I like to view struggles not as setbacks but as obstacles to overcome. My ultrarunning days come in handy when I’m discouraged!

Please tell us about your business.
I create healthy, allergy-friendly baked goods and mixes. My flagship product is Hannah Cakes, a shortbread-like cookie that is top nine free. There are five flavors: Classic, Mini Chocolate Chip, Lavender Lemon, Merry Mint and Vanilla Maple. Made with just six main ingredients! I specialize in making baked goods that free from the top nine: gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, corn, shellfish. I try to feature hemp seeds in the products I make. I also use high quality ingredients, sourcing local when possible and choose organic whenever I can.

I’m most proud of starting a business that allows me to be a mother so that I can raise and nurture my child plus help other single mothers. I’m also proud of creating products that people are searching for but can’t readily find!

Many things set me apart from other businesses! My background in applied nutrition, my years spent racing ultramarathons, not being scared of hard work, being a 100% single mother while starting a business, operating as a debt-free company and helping others even while in the startup phase.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I enjoy the diversity of being in a city but I wish for better air quality.

Pricing:

• Hannah Cakes $7.00/package of 3, 4 flavors available
• Brownie for One in glass jar, $6.00
• Chocolate Stuffed Oatmeal Cookies, $10.00/box of 2 sandwich cookies
• Best Brownies Ever, $5.00/package of 2
• Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, $5.00/package of 2

Contact Info:

• Website: www.happyhannahcakes.com
• Email: hello@happyhannahcakes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhannahcakes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happyhannahcakes/

Image Credit:
Jay Nel-McIntosh, Jay Photography and Kalon Images

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