We recently connected with Sabrina Mendez and have shared our conversation below.

Sabrina, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

Ordered sugar cookies for your business with your logo printed? Stopped by our booth at a local market for a meringue pop? A portion of our sales are donated to help cats in need. With the help of our customers, we have been able to donate to organizations that provide medical care to aging cats so that they may live out their golden years. We’re proud to have also donated much needed supplies to a catch and release organization. These types of organizations capture feral cats, treat them medically, provide spay/neuter services, and release them back into their dwelling.

Lovely Luna’s Bakeshop, LLC aims to aid stray and senior cats because of our namesake; Luna. Luna was a senior cat that I adopted back in 2016. Luna’s story was not an uncommon one. Although Luna was a stray cat that had been abandoned without her front claws, she was well mannered and full of love. She sadly passed onto kitty heaven in 2018, but had such a big impact that I decided to name my bakeshop in her memory.

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

At the age of 12, having never witnessed anyone bake more than a box of cake mix, I set out to make muffins from scratch. Why? I had an intense hankering for one full of cranberries and orange zest. I watched the batter rise, inhaled the scent of a freshly baked good, and shared my creation when the tin had cooled. Never had I made something by hand that lit up the faces of those around me. I researched, mixed, and fought the high altitude to feed my newly found obsession with making muffins. First there were muffins, then there were cakes covered in grainy buttercream, then everything else I could possibly put into an oven. I made scrambled eggs learning how to temper, burned chocolate, and crystalized whole pans of sugar syrup. With every attempt, I honed my skills. I learned to shape bread, make choux pastry, and whip ganache.

It wasn’t until a co-worker asked me to make a pie in exchange for money did I realize, people were willing to pay for what I made. My boss at the time was given a slice and asked me, “Why are you working here? If you can make this, you shouldn’t be here.” However, it would take another 5 years, the support of my husband, and a pandemic later for me to open Lovely Luna’s Bakeshop, LLC.

Lovely Luna’s Bakeshop, LLC is a cottage bakeshop that creates custom goods from scratch. Although we specialize in gourmet cookies and printed sugar cookies, our custom goods are not limited. Breads, cakes, and something you randomly saw on TikTok are available.

We want our clients to feel good about their purchases. A portion of sales goes to helping cats in need and we strive for sustainability with compostable packaging.

Simply put, my name is Sabrina and I like to make people happy with baking while also doing some good in the world.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Samples. Potential clients can only eat with their eyes so much. Many people have never tasted a marshmallow made from scratch and cannot tell you the stark difference in taste or texture.If I have extra products after attending a market, I love to go around to attendees and vendors and give away the last of my goods.

Also, I often reach out to local small businesses and offer to print their logos or QR codes onto sugar cookies without a fee. This method helps foster the community of small business owners and supports shopping locally.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media marketing can be pretty intimidating because it’s always changing. My greatest advice is to pick a platform to get to know well and post content often. Remember that there are a lot of free tools at your disposal. Within certain apps, you can schedule posts ahead of time and track when your audience is most active.

Personally, the most views I receive are through Reels. However if i’m not using local hashtags, those views may never turn into orders. I try my best to make Reels, post Stories, and have even started to go Live.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelylunasbakeshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelylunasbakeshop
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

By Sabrina Mendez via Lovely Luna’s Bakeshop, LLC