Today we’d like to introduce you to Amilia Mckay
Hi Amilia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my business as a part-time gig doing wedding cakes in my free time. In 2019, I decided to take the leap to go all in. I quit my full-time job and started doing cakes on a weekly basis. Less than a year later, Covid hits and every single cake I had scheduled that year either canceled or postponed. Having just quit my “real” job less than a year prior, my husband was also out of a job because the travel bans and all my current business lost, I had to do something! Listen, I don’t give up easily. I made shift in my business offering sweet and savory pies. We did curb-side pick up from my house and even offered delivery. Pies became popular fast! The savory pies were the perfect dinner you could bake at home without having to cook yourself. It was basically the concept of eating out when you couldn’t eat out. Pies exploded and my business quadrupled. I never went back to cakes.
When things started to open back up, I had enough pie business to move into a shared commercial kitchen. Less than four years after that, we had our grand opening for our very own Storefront!!! And this is only the beginning.
I’m extremely proud that I was able to push myself to pivot my business in a time of need and be able to support my household income. Now that I have a physical storefront, the dream is to make it a full bakery. We’ll still focus on pies but, I’m excited to get back into other delicious baked goods that bring me joy.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Struggles were happening every step of the way. The first struggle was the loss of business when Covid hit. Having every single wedding and event HAVE to cancel, I was a mess. This was my family income. My husband was also experiencing health problems which had him in the hospital over Christmas and loss of his job because of the travel bans.
Another huge obstacle was getting hit with a lawsuit from another bakery when we first shifted to pies. I didn’t back down and I’m so glad I didn’t because now look at us. We have a freaking storefront!
Getting into our store was it’s own obstacle. We had an investor fall through weeks before we were headed out of the country. Again, this didn’t stop us. We found someone else, had the lease signed the day before we went on vacation, and came back with our Grand Opening in less than 2 months.
Struggles suck, but I don’t back down. I push harder!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The name of my business, Grapefruit & Thyme, was chosen because it was my signature cake flavor and also my favorite cake flavor. I thought about changing the name when we shifted to pies but, it’s where I started and there’s a lot of history with it. Plus, we have a full bakery storefront now and I can bring the cake back and plan to sell slices of that flavor on a regular basis.
We are known for our sweet and savory pies. Pies are what really made us popular and explode. I think they set us apart from other bakeries because we’re not selling pie, we’re selling comfort and quality time. Families can sit down with each other and enjoy the comfort of a home cooked meal without having to take the time to prepare it themselves. We use the best, fresh ingredients to make sure you’re getting a quality pie. People come in for our pies to give to their sick grandparents or to give to their neighbor that just had a baby. It’s the gift of comfort!
Another part of my brand that is really exciting is, my very very first employee ever came back after a couple years off! Not only did she come back as one of my bakers but, she rebranded my logo design to include an image of pie so we can be recognized as a pie bakery. I’m proud that I’ve created, not only a quality product for customers but also a quality work environment. I had another employee leave on an LDS mission and she also came back when she returned home. I love that people choose me to work for.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m a sucker for a good business book. I didn’t go to college to learn business so now, I try reading all the things. My favorite book that I have read multiple times is: Dream First, Details Later by Ellen Marie Bennett. Ellen is the owner and creator of my favorite apron company: Hedley & Bennett. I own a bakery, so of course I need the best aprons and uniforms. Plus they make me feel more professional. I met Ellen in person one day when I went to LA for a family vacation. She happened to be there and I got to talk to her for a minute and she insisted on getting a picture. I’ll never forget that. Her book is all about how she took the leap with her small dream, and turned it into an empire. The book is a super easy read but, I love her story, relate to it and dream about my own story.
Pricing:
- Even with the rise of food costs (*eggs, cough cough) we’re trying and able to keep our hearty savory pies at around $10 or less per serving. Quality and convenience for cheaper than what you would spend on crappy fast-food.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grapefruitandthyme.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grapefruitandthyme
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapefruitandthyme
