We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeorgia Byerly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeorgia below.

Jeorgia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have worked in the hospitality industry for 11 years. I started baking as a kid, got my first job as a head baker at 17, and never (really) stopped after that. Being in this industry is hard. I’ll speak to being a baker specifically since that is where 99% of my experience lies;
– No “off times”. Every bakery I have worked in has a time you come in to start the day and then you leave when production is done and the kitchen is clean.
– Just like all kitchen jobs, you are on your feet for hours! Sore back and feet all of the time, still taking recommendations for good shoes after all these years. lol
– You are at the mercy of the product, constantly having to make sure nothing is over mixed, over proofed, over baked, Baking is an art form and a science.
– Early mornings which means early nights! All my friends call me “granny”. lol
– Production baking is extremely laborious, opposed to small cottage bakeries that don’t do full bakes or production days daily. I always joke people imagine bakers as, “little ferries that float around the kitchen and pull beautiful cakes out of thin air.” If you have worked in a bakery, you know it doesn’t come easy.
– Baking is technical. It takes a lot of attention to detail! There are always many minute details to pay attention to at one time and the worst part is, if something gets messed up, more often than not you have to scrap it and start all over.

If you know anything about working in a kitchen, you know that it is hard work and owners/chefs are often stereotyped as major assholes. Well, I am sure I won’t be the first to tell you that it is a stereotype for a reason! Having to deal with all of the stressors listed above, exploitative employers, and also just existing? It’s exhausting! This is one of the biggest reasons I started my own business, I wanted to create a space where I had autonomy. I didn’t want someone else to “own” my time.
When I first started the bakery this was also a huge reason I had concerns about growing to the point that I needed employees. Once we reached that point, I decided that if I were going to do it, I would do it better. I make it a priority to make sure my employees are feeling confident about themselves and their job, we offer equal pay to all employees no matter what position, and I make sure they know that when they need time off, they are not asking me permission, they are telling me the days they need off. If I have to be the one to cover that shift or take that delivery, then so be it. It was my decision to start a business so I get to step up and do the work when necessary, We also are owner operated meaning I am right there with my employees every day doing the work. It’s important to me that I do not turn into someone that fades into the background and my business sits on the backs of my employees. Out of respect for peoples time but also because I am passionate about baking!
All that to say, YES! I am so much happier as a business owner and a contributor to the community.

Jeorgia , 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?

For folks who have not heard of Sour Baby Bakery, we are a small queer owned and operated business located in Sequim! At the head of the business is me, Jeorgia Byerly, professional baker of 11 years. I started baking when I was a kid, started my first baking job as a head baker at 17, and have worked in various small bakeries and hotels since then! I was born and raised in Utah. Sour Baby currently wholesales various breads, baked goods, and cakes across 12 different small businesses in Sequim and Port Angeles. We value cultivating close relationships with small local businesses like Hurricane Coffee Company, Hurricane Coffee at the River, Chaos Coffee, Sunshine Café, Chi’s Farmstand, R-Corner Grocery, The Pine & Eight, Lincoln Park Grocery, Field Hall Coffee Bar, Civic Coffee, Dragon’s Brew, and most recently, Country Aire! We also provide special order cakes directly through us! Our goal is to provide high quality baked goods on the peninsula by baking & delivering fresh every day and limiting shelf life.
While high quality items are important to us, more importantly, we want to create a safe and creative space for our employees. I have always loved the friendships I have built in kitchens and fostering that in my own business is definitely at the top of my list.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

The crazy thing is, we built Sour Baby Bakery on zero capital and zero savings. The business has literally been build from the ground up and I have to contribute a ton of it to the community. We started at a small incubator commissary kitchen that let up trade physical labor for rent time. Then after a short while we outgrew the kitchen and jumped into something even bigger. Our next steps are to get into an independent space but for that.. we’ll need a little help. Sour Baby is actively looking for investors to move into a larger space for production and open a sister business as a storefront.

Any advice for managing a team?

The most important thing to me for managing a team is making sure they know they are appreciated for their work. While constructive criticism is always necessary, there is in appropriate way to approaching it. I also consistently check in asking them if they are happy, if there are ways I can improve as a boss/co-worker, and what they hope to get out of working for Sour Baby.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sourbabybakery.com
• Instagram: sourbaby.bakery
• Facebook: Sour Baby Bakery