Coffee Chat - Happy 4th Birthday to The Sugar Fairy Bakes LLC ! ๐๐
This day in age with everything being available with one click, and people looking to save a buck, the food we eat, has become quick and convenient. Gone are the days of quality. We have lost touch to the point that we think processed canned and boxed ingredients are acceptable and treat them like they are real food. Pasta Roni is delicious and makes a great dinner side right? The grocery stores BOGO blueberry muffins are great value, taste good and are blueberry so they are a โhealthyโ breakfast alternative right? No!! No!!! NO!!!! Sadly, the reality of it is this is how many people think. Over time we have accepted the short cuts and forget what real food is, and what it tastes like and we forget how much value it holds.
With the cost of living rising, food makers everywhere are cutting corners to save a buck. Many of those in the food service industry have switched to canned and pre made to save time and money in an attempt to keep their heads above water and their doors open. The ones who havenโt made these sacrifices have left consumers sticker shocked by having to raise prices. No their prices are not high!! No we are not trying to get rich! Our prices are ACCURATE for our cost and accurate for what you are receiving!!ย Regardless, many donโt realize the difference and they rather buy the 10 for $10 low quality, processed, preservative filled, artificial foods then spend the $20 on the real thing that is loaded with nutrients and ingredients you can actually pronounce.
Times are not only different now, but hard.
Deep down I think weโre all nostalgic for simpler times in our lives & in our fast paced world I want to give my customers something different. Through my recipes I go back in time by using real ingredients , quality ingredients, locally sourced when possible. Recipes that are 90+ years old, recipes created long before canned, boxes, and fillers were a thing. With baking, the process used is just as important as the recipes followed. There are no short cuts. True from scratch baking is a labor of love. I said from scratch, not homemade ๐
YES! There is a difference! Surprise! Betty Crocker is homemade. If you didnโt buy it ready to eat and it required some type of preparation, then it is homemade. From scratch is what I do. I gather up high quality ingredients. Flour, sugars, salt, leveling agents, real cream, real butter, real vanilla, real eggs, and so on. We weigh, measure, mix, fold, whisk, and blend, and bake. The outcome is pure deliciousness! Real food!! Products that take you back in time and remind you of treats grandma used to make.
My favorite part of baking is sharing this labor of love with others and knowing I helped to put a smile on their face. My love of baking startedย over 35 years ago while working in the kitchen with my disabled grandmother. It has always been a part of my life, making treats for my family, and gifts for friends. Then in July of 2019 I took the plunge and decided to turn this pastime into a small home business. Just like my baking, I started this business from scratch. No large bank account to sit on, no connections, no back ups. Just resilience, discipline, and self taught skills. My little home bakery took off rather quickly but I had no idea what was just around the corner and what would turn our world upside down. Less than a full year in business, the Covid 19 pandemic hit. All of the public events where I sold my creations shut down and I was left like many other small businesses, trying to figure out how to keep my business alive. I pivoted my plan and began to offer online ordering off of a daily special menu, and I provided local delivery. With this business model my little home bakery grew by leaps and bounds! At the same time, with so much time on their hands thanks to Covid, millions of new bakers came out of the woodwork. So while I was trying to stay alive my competition was growing.
With hard work, dedication, and high quality items, I not only survived but I thrived.
After a couple hard years the world started to heal from the pandemic and we began to see some signs of normalcy return. Schools were open. Masks weโre off, folks weโre back to work. Right around this time my home business was busting at the seams of my families kitchen and I needed to pivot and make yet another
change. As scary as it was, I took the risk and jumped on a brick and mortar opportunity. Finally my dream of an old fashioned community bakery was coming alive!
The first four months were stellar! It was a completely new world I was navigating. The 72 consecutive 14 hour days were exhausting, learning equipment, fixing equipment , trying to find affordable and quality help was scary. Trying to get a groove in place and navigate through trial and error was challenging but in the end it wasย absolutely wonderful!! Then just like when I first started out, just as I started to get comfortable the world tossed a curve ball again. Prices on everything everywhere quadrupled overnight. Gas $5 a gallon, electricity delivery charges 2-3 times the usage charges. Eggs went from $12 a case to $80+ a case depending on the day!! (You read that right) Butter went from $73 a case to $140 a case. My cost of doing business went, up, up, up while everyoneโs cost of living went up. While I am spending more to produce, customers are spending less on purchases. Here we are at another cross roads.
I am confident that we have what it takes to come out of this in tact, and to be able to continue growing just as we did before, BUT right now so much of my success and my existence in the community depends on the support of my community!!! Please read that again, and tell a friend.
All those times you turned to us for sponsorship of your childโs sport team, your non profit fundraiser, and your cancer benefits we were there for you. Now we ask that you remember us when we need you to be here for us. A new school year is right around the corner. Another holiday season on the horizon. That means the hundreds of requests for donations are right around the corner as well. We want to make sure we are here and able to give back to our community when we are asked but in order to do so we need your support now! Remember when you support a small local business you are helping a FAMILY live their their dream, but more importantly you are helping a family live this crazy wonderful ride called life!
In closing Iโd like to say Happy 4th Birthday to The Sugar Fairy Bakes LLC๐ It will be 4 years on July 29th, since I had my first public sale right here in Mechanicville (at the libraryโs farmers market) I wouldnโt have made it this far if it wasnโt for all of my wonderful customers. Those of you right here in the community and those of you who travel regularly from Troy, Glens Falls, Saratoga, Stillwater, Albany, Clifton Park and beyond to purchase my products. This of you who includes me in all your special occasions, birthdays, weddings, new babies, and holidays. those of you who share, and tag me on social media and recommend me to family and friends. Thank you! Thank you! I appreciate you and wouldnโt be here 4 years later if it wasnโt for all of you! I look forward to many more wonderful years with you all and seeing how TSFB grows !
TSFB, your community bakery. Where happiness is homemade.