Sweets & Treats Baking
Year 1 (2025-26)
by Olivia Brumm
Want baked good for an event, but don’t like cake. Then Sweets and Treats might be right for all.
About This Idea
Sweets and Treats Baking is a bakery meant for people who want or like baked goods but don’t enjoy cake or cupcakes, due to their sweetness or texture. We focus on baked goods like cookies, brownies, and muffins, with hopes to expand into pies, cheesecakes, and other baked goods down the line. At first, we are operating in small custom orders and catering with hopes to expand to a local store front down the line. The problem we're trying to solve is the fact that most bakeries, in the Kalamazoo area, specialties are in cakes and cupcakes, and for those who dislike those items its difficult to get bakery quality at a decent price for a special event.
Where Did This Idea Spark at WMU?
Sweets and Treats, originally, started as a way of stress relief from my classes. There I realized how much I had enjoyed baking, at the time I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after college so I started to wonder if baking was something I could do full time. I ended up talking to a friend,who really helped me realize that I was able to do this or at least try. So from there I spent the next 6-8 months baking and creating the idea that would become “Sweets and Treats Baking”. I was informed about the WMU program's Starting Gate through many different people and from there I had taken the leap and applied to the program. I was accepted and through Starting Gate, I have been able to build my company up and gain experiences that I thought I wouldn’t be able to get for a long time
Impact in Kalamazoo
As mentioned above, for the people in Kalamazoo who do not enjoy the texture or sweetness of cakes and cupcakes can make it difficult to find bakery quality items at good prices. We hope to become the bakery for Kalamazoo that can offer them those items. Investing back into Kalamazoo has always been a part of our plan, giving to local food pantries and other organizations that help with food scarcity will be one of our ways to give back to our community.
How Investment Helps
This investment can help Sweets and Treats Bakery become a local store front in Kalamazoo. Having a store front is the ultimate goal in the end, creating a location where people of all ages can come and enjoy baked goods. Without funding I wouldn’t be able to scale my product as quickly and keep my price at a low cost. However, with funding I can focus on working at a commercial kitchen and fulfilling more orders.
What I'll Do With the Money
Marketing (25%) Update website, social media, and physical marketing.
Industry (Ingredients, packaging, etc) (50%)
Savings and Investing (25%) Putting money towards future plans.
About the Founder
I’m Olivia Brumm, a first generation WMU Sociology and Entrepreneurship student and Baker. I believe that good bakery quality products should be available to everyone, whether its a birthday, graduation, or an everyday event, I want to be there to support the community around me and give back when I can. I’m ready to turn my escape from reality into something that becomes my reality.