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

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

My business name “Pipit” came from the nickname my dad called me growing up. To this day, when I call him to ask questions about my business and life in general, he answers the phone with, “is that my pipit?” Family has always been hugely important to me and as I build my business, that hasn’t changed. My parents and my older brother (as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins) have been huge supporters through the ups and downs of the first few years of running a startup, from purchasing my products to showing love and support on social media to just sending me words of encouragement and always being willing to taste test my newest creations (that one’s not very difficult to find volunteers for). Being so close to my family, I always knew my business would involve them so it made sense to me to pay homage to them with my business’s name.

Sarah, 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?

How I got into baking is easy: I’ve always been doing it. Since I was old enough to hold a mixing spoon, I’ve been baking. That same wooden mixing spoon I wielded as a kid and that cracked from so much use when I was in high school, is actually featured in my logo (being held by my otter mascot).

As a kid, I was all about baking chocolate chip cookies and boxed cake mixes, nowadays, I challenge myself a bit more with our featured product: the French macaron. I think this treat, how we make it, and the flavors we continue to experiment with, are some of the things that sets us apart from other bakeries. I didn’t grow up eating macarons but at my first professional baking job, I tasted my first one courtesy of the head pastry chef (who is now a mentor and good friend) and fell in love with the French treat. They were unlike anything I’d every had before and challenging in a way that still excites me. The number of flavor combinations as well as the continued difficulty of baking macarons never cease, which keeps me on my toes even after years of making them.

Don’t get me wrong though: I’ll never stop baking chocolate chip cookies, classic brownies, or playing around with various other recipes. The key to baking isn’t necessarily making the fanciest treats, it’s just making someone smile.

That’s the main thing I want people to know about me, my baking, and my business: I want to brighten their day, even just for a moment.

When I think of the best dessert ever, it’s not a specific dessert. It’s not one companies chocolate cake or another’s Crème Brulé. The best dessert is one that makes you happy. For one person it could be a beautifully delicate pastry from a French Patisserie. For another, it could be store-bought cookies they remember having at their grandparents house as a kid. For me, it changes daily: fresh baked cinnamon rolls one day, a scoop of my favorite ice cream another. Regardless of what it is though, if it brings you joy or makes you smile, in my opinion, it’s the best dessert. I strive for my customers to feel this way when they eat my treats. I strive for bliss in every bite.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My childhood dream was always to open a small town brick-and-mortar store where I could have regular customers and feel like part of the community. As I grew older, I continued to modify this dream but it always included knowing my customers in one way or another. When COVID hit, and like so many others, I was stuck at home for days on end, I decided to jump into starting my dream to occupy my time; however, due to COVID shutting everything down, I did something I never thought I would do: sold online. This was never my plan, nor was it even considered until it was the only way I could safely start a business. COVID challenged me to start my business in a new way and it paid off. It meant I was able to do what I love and stay safe while the world was turned upside down. When things began opening up again, I slowly branched out to farmers markets and local events to start making a connection with my customers. Now, I only sell online occasionally for holidays and get to focus more on special events and getting to be face-to-face with my customers. Personally, I never loved selling online (mainly because baked goods are expensive and not easy to ship in good condition and I wasn’t able to have that personal connection to my customers) but utilizing online sales, I was able to start my business in the middle of a pandemic and then slowly transition it into something more inline with my dream.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The obvious answer to this is making sure my product were delicious and that people would like them so much they would recommend them to their friends and family. Of course, I agree wholeheartedly with this and strive to make sure everything I sell is as delicious as it can be but I also believe a big part of my reputation comes from who I am and how I make people feel when they come to events I am at. I want my products to spark joy in others as much as I want my business as a whole to be identified with positivity and openness. When I’m at an event, I want customers to feel free to ask me about baking or tell me about their latest baking fail or triumph. If someone wants to give me a macaron flavor suggestion or recommend a recipe they think I should try, I always want to make sure I have time, even just a few minutes, to chat with them. I love the community I have become a part of and think it is a big part of the reputation and success I’ve found.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pipitsbakery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pipitsbakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipitsbakery

Image Credits
The Personal Photo was taken by Littlewing Studio Photography, littlewingstudio.com