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

Craig, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have a creative background. I was in the advertising industry as a creative director/art director for many years. I was use to creating and making things look good. I have loved cooking and baking for about 20 years now. And it seemed easy to use my creative talents in preparing great food and desserts. At the start of Covid I was looking for something else to do. I started focusing on if there was anything I could do on the baking side of things. For years I would experiment with desserts, typically pies and tarts, and give them away to neighbors to try. I realized that a whole pie is too large for a couple or individual to finish. I had some small 5 inch tart pans and wondered if I could turn those full pies and tarts into a smaller version. After more and more experimenting with different recipes, I realized how good the smaller size tasted and how cute they looked. And, the perfect size for a couple or individual to finish. My wife and I moved from Dallas to Austin about a year and a half ago and it wasn’t till Covid was calming down that I thought it might be the right time to launch this idea. No one was doing anything quite like this at the time or really still. I wanted a clever, memorable name. And since they are small…and cute…the name Craig’s Cutie Pies was born. I created a fun logo and cute, attractive packaging to really help them stand out.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Up until a little over a year ago, I had lived in Dallas my entire life. My wife and I recently moved to Austin to be by family. If I wasn’t in advertising for my career, I would have loved to have been a chef. I have been obsessed with cooking and baking for years. My creative background I believe has really helped me with this passion. This passion is ultimately the joy of making people happy from cooking and baking. Not too long ago I had an idea to make small pies for individuals or couples to share. I named it Craig’s Cutie Pies. The original size was 5 inches in diameter, but since then I have also created a smaller 3 inch size which are great for larger events and parties. I like the fact that it’s an original idea. From the product, to the name, the logo, and packaging. It’s satisfying knowing I created something from scratch…no pun intended.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My entire audience is pretty much from social media. I started out for several months mainly on Instagram and Facebook. I created a separate Instagram page and email address for the business. I love styling images, so I take my own photographs of the pies. And from the postings, I have also gotten a lot of business through word of mouth. It wasn’t until a couple months ago, I created a website. The goal is to try and get as many people to follow my business as possible, since how I advertise and sell is through those forms of social media. Since I’m an individual just starting out, it’s been a pretty effective way to launch the business. If it really takes off, then I may have to up the ante a bit.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Truly, the best source of new clients has been from client recommendations and word of mouth. Once someone tries one of my pies, they fall in love with them and tell others about how good they are. Also, nice complimentary posts have helped a lot as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: craigscutiepies.com
• Instagram: @craigscutiepies
• Other: email: craigscutiepies@gmail.com