We were lucky to catch up with Faye Nelson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Faye thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

We have business owners that are across the street from us, and they support us everyday. Every other week, the Chamber puts on Classic Car Roll-ins, and being new to those folks that attend, we weren’t getting much business. They have walk-in appointments and customers are usually waiting for awhile. They asked if they sent people over, and they purchased something, if we could give them a receipt, so they could receive a discount on their purchase from them. Of course we agreed and we were very touched that they were willing to help bring customers into our shop. Since then, we have given them an employee discount since they are so loyal and willing to help us out.

Faye, 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?

In 2008, I had wanted to learn how to decorate cakes. I took to the internet and started watching videos and reading tutorials on everything I could. I practiced at home and sent most items to work with my husband to share at his place of employment with his workers. I made cakes for my kids’ birthdays and kept practicing. Since I’ve always been in food service in some way since I was in my early teens, baking just seemed natural. In 2018, I decided to take my hobby to the next level, and became a Registered Cottage Food Producer. A CFP is someone who is registered with the MN Department of Agriculture and is allowed to sell certain foods from their home. My business was doing well and had went to promote my business in a wedding vendor show where I met a contact in Owatonna, MN. I was doing 1000+ cookies a month along with hundreds of bars each week. By the end of 2021, I had to make a decision about whether to continue working full time and doing cakes on the side or going FT from home. I was putting close to 80 hours a week doing both, but I made the decision to go FT from home, and it paid off! I was so busy and I was really running out of room in my house to take on all the work that I was getting in. So, then I started looking into storefronts in Lake Crystal, where I reside and found one that was a blank slate to design how i wanted. That build out was getting to be more than I had wanted to spend getting into the business and luckily another location just a few buildings down, became available. The shell was already there, along with proper flooring in the kitchen area, it just really needed a few upgrades and equipment. The rest was history! We moved in and opened our doors on January 4th, 2023. I added a cafe to the bakery as I just didn’t see the bakery fully making it on its own. Thankfully, it has done better than I had anticipated! We sell fresh bakery items like our famous cinnamon and caramel rolls, scones, muffins, donuts and cakes and cupcakes. We are still working on a few things, but are hoping to add breads and such to the mix. We have a daily lunch special and are offering breakfast on Saturdays.

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

We have the best customers! Regulars who support us on the daily, sharing our posts and interacting with us has been instrumental in helping our little business grow. We love to get feedback from them on ways to improve, and on things that they may like to see being offered in the bakery.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We like to make posts on social media and thankfully, we have had alot of interest in our little business from other sources of advertisements, like KEYC, Mankato Free Press and the Lake Crystal Tribune. KEYC brought a lot of people from surrounding areas that wanted to check us out. We had a hard time keeping treats in our bakery case! Thats always a good problem to have though.  

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @infusionbakingco
• Facebook: @infusionbakingco