Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Debe Loeber. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Debe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I first started my sourdough baking journey in 2020. A friend gave me some starter and I started looking into the process. At first I was overwhelmed as there is so much information out there and often times the information was very different. After a few months of investigation, I finally just chose one baker and started to follow their process. There were a lot of flops as I was learning but each time I would learn something that would help me the next time. During my investigaton, I discovered that gluten intolerant people can often eat long-fermented sourdough because it breaks down the gluten structure making it easier to digest. Three of my four grandchildren were gluten intolerant so I wanted to try baking for them. I was so excited when they could enjoy my baked bread. Have you even tasted the gluten free bread in the stores…it’s awful. So, I continued my research and found you can make almost anything with sourdough. So, I expanded to rolls, sandwich bread, english muffins, tortillas, muffins, cookies, etc. It brought me such joy that I could provide healthy alternatives for my grandkids. Then, other people began to hear about my baking and asked if they could buy it. When I told my family, they encouraged me to open a cottage bakery – which means I bake in my own home. I didn’t realize how many details would be needed. I began by creating a menu of items I felt people would be interested in. Then I had to look into pricing as I had no idea what to charge. The internet is a great source of information and found a site that said to total your ingredient costs, any supplies (bags, labels), add a labor charge for your time and add a profit percentage. So, I created an excel spread sheet with all my ingredient costs, supply costs, etc. – then had to add each recipe to calculate the costs. I had to figure out what packaging I would use for the different items and research different suppliers. If I was going to have a business, I needed a name and logo. My kids’ friends would call me Mama Loebs and the joke was that if I ever started a business, it should be called that…so that’s how Mama Loebs Sourdough got its name. My son does graphic work and created a logo and business cards. I didn’t want to invest in a website to start with so I started with a Facebook business page. The state tax research was very confusing. I kept saying I wish there was one website that would tell you how to start a business – let you know the different things to research. I found I needed to collect sales tax and pay the state quarterly. I had to research what things I could deduct for federal taxes. I ended up calling a tax professional to ask questions as the research online was confusing, often contradictory. After I figured out what I could deduct, I set up an excel spreadsheet to complete each month. This made the end of the year much easier as all the information was already calculated. Sometimes it felt like I would check one item off my to-do list and three more would pop back up. I had some people tell me I should just bake and not worry about the tax stuff but integrity is important to me and I wanted to do things the right way. I think it took a couple months to get everything ordered, printed and ready to go. When I was ready to launch, I set up a pop up stand during our neighborhood’s garage sale. I did a post announcing it on my business FB page and then shared it on my personal page and our neighborhood’s page. I baked all day and night to get ready and my husband and grandkids helped package everything up. When I looked around at all the items I had baked, I started to have second thoughts. Who was going to buy sourdough items when they’re at a garage sale. But, I was shocked that within two hours, I was totally sold out. It was a great way to introduce myself and explain about long fermented sourdough to my neighbors. I made sure each person had a card and let them know I bake to order. I try to post something on my business FB each week to keep my name out there and let customer’s know about new products and special offers. I started getting orders from those I met at the garage sale and was happy with their praise and referrals they gave. To boost my product, I was introduced to an online farmer’s market, Reko Treasure Valley. Vendors post their products and then customers pre-order, pre-pay and pickup at a designated place at a specific day/time. What was nice is the reach was beyond just Nampa, It allowed my products to be seen by people in Star, Middleton, Boise, Kuna and Meridian. It was slow at first, but was excited when I started to see my orders increase. Some of the increase was just people meeting me while they were picking up items from another vendor. Again, the blessing of selling this way is I get to know my customers and they get to know me and my process. I feel a connection with them when I’m baking their products. I love getting things free so I started a loyalty program. For every twelve items they purchase, they receive a free loaf. I keep track of their orders and let them know when they are due. I love how excited they are when I let them know they’ll be receiving a free loaf in their next order. It’s a way for me to say ‘thank you’ for their loyalty and repeat business. With anything hand-crafted, mistakes can happen. There have been times when something didn’t rise correctly, or didn’t bake up like I’d like. I’ve contacted my customers to let them know and offer to give them a free one on their next order. My customers are wonderful and so grace-giving. Most times they’ll text later and say it still tasted great, which is so kind. Customer service is very important and I always want to ensure my customers are happy and that the quality is high. I love hearing stories of when they use my products – whether they are taking them to a family gathering, giving them to a friend who is sick, etc. I love feeling like I’m part of their journey. I also love that a lot of my customers are gluten intolerant but can enjoy these items. I had one gal tell me that her grandmother hadn’t eaten bread in years. When she had my bread, she cried, she was so happy. That was so special. Often times a customer will ask for something not on my menu. I always try and meet their request if I can. I’ve actually added several items to my menu from customer requests. I love the relationship we have. It’s also important to know your limits/goals. I’ve had several invitations to farmers markets and other sales opportunities but realize my current customer load is consistent with my other obligations. I do this part time so I have the opportunity to watch my grandkids and be involved with my church. I’ve also learned not to compare yourself to others. We all have our own journey and we need to keep true to what we feel our calling is. There are times when the baking process can be monotonous but knowing I’m bringing joy to others keeps me going.

Debe, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I think I answered this in the last post.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think producing a quality product that customers can depend on is important. I’m also competitively priced – being able to make a profit but being affordable for families. I think my customers know that I care about them as people and not just a source of income. If something goes wrong with a product, I am upfront with them and then make it right by providing a item in their next order. If we as a business owner are willing to be transparent and humble, customers will sense that and will stay with you.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Social media is a great way to get your product out there. I have a FB business page where I post weekly. It allows me to remind people of my products, the benefits, new offerings and special deals. I ask my followers to share my posts and they receive a free item with each referral. There are a variety of markets and sales I’ve been a part of that has allowed me to meet new people. Word of mouth is always the best way to get the word out. If a customer tells me a story or compliments my product, I’ll ask if I can share that comment on my page and ask them to post a review. When I was first starting out, I would give out some of my products to people I was in contact with and ask them to try and post a review. This helped build my reviews and allowed new people to try my products and most would then become customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MLSourdough.com
• Instagram: MLSourdough
• Facebook: MLSourdough