We were lucky to catch up with Anna Simeonides recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

We are very passionate about food access and education! What you fuel your body with directly impacts your performance and we want to supply only the best. That’s why we have chosen to partner with Compassion International and Global Education Ministries. They enable children to have access to meals, education, healthcare, and ministry. Having been directly impacted by life threatening allergies, we understand the importance of safe food made with real ingredients. Thus we recently launched our very own line of baking mixes and couldn’t be more excited! All mixes are gluten free, vegan, top 8 allergen free and non GMO. Our products include an all purpose baking flour, chocolate cake mix, vanilla cake mix, cookie mix, and bread mix and are available for purchase and shipment through our website. Every time you purchase our signature baking mixes, we get to change their lives together!!

Anna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are a gluten-free, allergy-oriented bakery with vegan, keto, and paleo options. To Your Health has been a long, evolving process over the years. It all goes back to when I was 8 years old and my little brother was born. He instantly captured my heart and became my entire world. I was devastated when we discovered his many health issues along with a plethora of food allergies.

Much is beyond our control, but with ample prayer for his health, I decided to take charge of something I could manage and appointed myself his personal chef. Words cannot describe the amount of knowledge I gained from cooking and baking for a child who is allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, meat, corn, soy, nuts, yeast, and half of all fruits and vegetables. The journey has been lengthy and arduous and there are still rough patches, but it is with grateful and full hearts that we thank God for his health today.

In college, I quickly realized that though I loved my university education (Ed Major, Music/Spanish Minor), I yearned for a greater challenge. My side business of scratch baking for friends and family began growing and after a year of school, I dropped out and took the leap to begin To Your Health. What started out as baking for friends in my certified kitchen grew to taking over every available countertop in my family home, preparing hundreds of pieces of product for weekly farmers’ markets. A couple of years later, the winter before I would have graduated college, I opened the doors of our official storefront.

That said, at TYHB we understand the importance of fueling your body with only the best, and are proud to say that we uphold the highest standards of quality, from prevention of cross-contamination to delectable products. Catering to many lifestyle diets, we source local, organic, artisan ingredients and take the utmost care to ensure that you receive exactly what you need. Nothing brings more joy than seeing a child have their first bakery experience, tears of joy in customer’s eyes as they get to pick out anything in the shop. Food has been a bonding experience since the beginning of time, making our customers family.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The advice I always give to those starting their own ventures is to find something you love, make it uniquely your own, and stay in your lane. You know what your talents are and where your passion lies. Don’t overextend yourself and stay true to your brand. You can do anything but not everything. I really believe that staying committed to our mission of serving those with allergies and to quality ingredients, no matter the cost, has really set us apart. People trust us and we have become a safe source they can turn to without worrying about their health. What we do may seem limiting as it is so specific, but our customers are steadfast and loyal because they understand we exist solely because of and for them.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pandemic was probably one of the most stressful experiences a small business owner could imagine. I grew my second gray hair in that time (I was 23) and worked nonstop to figure out creative ways to keep our doors open. By a miracle, we never shut down but rather pivoted to meal services, deliveries, curbside pickups, and special menus. We have the most incredible, hard working, and resilient team of women on staff – we wouldn’t be here without them! Our customers went above and beyond to support us and it is through everyone’s efforts and God’s grace that we made it through.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.toyourhealthbakery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toyourhealthbakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toyourhealthbakery

Image Credits
Lydia Sanger Photography; Staff photos
Lucy Mullia; personal photo