We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Francesca Inglin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Francesca, appreciate you joining us today. 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 been cooking as long as I can remember. All my memories of my grandmother were of her in the kitchen, my mother cooked the majority of our meals at home, and now I do the same for my children—it’s in my blood. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my first child that I really dove into baking. My nesting instincts went into hyperdrive: I had this urge to bake and feed people. So, I baked as much as I could as often as I could, and when I didn’t have any more room to store my loaf cakes, I would give them away to family and friends.

The reception I got from these loafs were great. People started asking me to bake them when they were going to a dinner party or if they were having a guest stay with them. My mom and my sisters would come over my house every week for a coffee and to sample a new flavor I was working on. It’s now become our weekly ritual. I love the social aspect these loaf cakes offer: no matter the time or occasion, a loaf cake always seems appropriate.

After a few years of everyone convincing me to start a business and sell my loaf cakes, I finally gave in and looked into what it would take. That’s how Loaf & Love began. I got the permits needed and started test baking like crazy. My kitchen literally exploded with loaf cakes! I eventually narrowed it down to eight classic flavors and a seasonal flavor that would change out.

Currently, I sell these loaf cakes from my house and do local delivery to a few office kitchens.

Francesca, 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?

Loaf & Love is an at-home bakery in Sherman Oaks that specializes in loaf cakes. I currently offer eight flavors: Banana Bread, Cinnamon Streusel Cake, Lemon Blueberry, Nutella Pound Cake, Orange Blossom Honey, Chocolate Espresso, Zucchini, and Carrot Cake. I also have a seasonal flavor that changes out. This fall, I am featuring a Cranberry Orange loaf.

My loaf cakes are simple. They are meant for the morning, an afternoon snack with tea or coffee, or even as a dessert. I like using simple ingredients that are accessible and nostalgic. These cakes are intended to be comforting, like little reminders of our past–flavors that our grandmothers and parents used to bake with. One of my fondest memories as a kid was coming home from school and my mom having a snack of Nutella toast waiting for me at the counter where we would talk about my day. That memory is what inspired the Nutella Pound Cake loaf.

I have an affinity for hand crafted objects and I wanted to embody that in my cakes. I treat every loaf as my version of a love letter—that’s how I came up with the name Loaf & Love. I truly take the time with each of my recipes and hope that my customers can taste the effort I put into making each loaf. I wanted my packaging to reflect that as well. I use Kraft pans and Kraft tie bags and secure each bag and stamp each bag with my contact information so my customers can really get the sense that each cake is truly made with love.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Starting Loaf & Love was definitely my side hustle at first. I never thought I would be trying to make a business out of this, it kind of just fell into my lap. I’m really lucky though, because baking is my therapy and it makes me so happy. I of course enjoy the baking process, but seeing people’s reactions when they try my cakes is what makes my heart beam.

I am still in the midst of scaling up. I am currently running this out of my house in between drop offs and pickups for my kids, but am allocating more time towards Loaf & Love as I am getting a higher volume of orders. Currently, my orders are from friends and locals in my neighborhood, people just order through my website, or by texting/DMing/emailing me.

I plan on participating in my local farmer’s market in the upcoming months as well. And for the holidays, I will be hosting a pop-up bakery in my front yard where people can buy a holiday sampler loaf set. My loaf cakes are a great holiday gift option because there is nothing more thoughtful than a handmade gift—especially one that you get to eat!

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

The main source of new clients has been word of mouth. My family has this running joke that my mother is my best sales person. She tells everyone she meets about Loaf & Love and she gives them my instagram and website and makes them follow me on the spot! She always makes a sale! She is so supportive and I am deeply appreciative that she believes in this company so much.

My friends have also been very supportive. It is in large part thanks to them that I receive a new follower on Instagram. Every time I am out with them or have them over at my house, they are raving about how many people they have turned onto Loaf & Love.

And of course social media has been a huge help as well. I post every day, and get a large portion of my followers through interacting with other accounts.

I anticipate Loaf & Love’s future will continue to grow through brand awareness and more bulk orders from offices and local businesses. I love the idea of a home bakery making a household name for itself, giving comfort and offering just the right touch of nostalgia to anyone that takes a bite.

Contact Info:

• Website: LoafandLove.com
• Instagram: @Loaf.and.Love

Image Credits
Andrew Inglin, Harrison Marciano, Dana Hanley