We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erica Ray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Erica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How has Covid changed your business model?
We used to be a retail bakery before COVID-19. When everything shut down, we had to scramble to find a way to continue to bring in income while keeping our customers and our employees safe. We threw together an online store and started offering contactless pick ups on Fridays and Saturdays. We would wave to our customers through the window and have conversations from a distance. They carried us through. They were like family.
We’ve continued with and changed the online ordering system to suit our needs as the world started to reopen after COVID. We even added a new pick up window.
Erica, 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?
It has been a lifelong dream of ours to have a bakery we could truly call our own. Bittersweet Bakery was born based on a few simple principles: Creating a wide variety of exceptional baked goods, a commitment to quality, and friendly customer service.
We offer a variety of sweet and savory treats, as well as custom orders by request. We make custom wedding and special occasion cakes, dessert buffets, breads, breakfast pastries and more!
We’re proud of the quality and variety of work we produce, especially with being a bakery of only two employees.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
We met working at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Alicia was the pastry chef at the Inn on Biltmore Estate and I was her assistant pastry chef.
We worked together for 5 years, became friends, and started a business together after that.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
We started working at the Harrisonburg farmer’s market and baking everything from home. We quickly found the need for more space and a professional kitchen like we were accustomed to working in. We acquired a space, built the kitchen in it, and the rest is history!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bittersweetbakeryva.com/home-old/
- Instagram: @bittersweetbakeryva
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bittersweetbakeryva