For many years, home bakers in Wisconsin fought to repeal a law that limited their ability to sell home-baked goods to the public. That changed in 2017, when a court ruling overturned the ban in Wisconsin.
With this decision, amateur bakers gained the freedom they sought to sell homemade baked goods. There are restrictions to protect consumers, such as allowing only non-potentially dangerous baked goods to be sold. But foods that are considered harmless can be baked in the home kitchen.
The result was the introduction of hundreds of products offered by home bakers. A look at Nextdoor, a neighborhood app that connects neighbors, shows a growing number of porch bakeries and custom offerings in the Green Bay area.
Sourdough bread and other products are usually a big draw, but there are other specialties too.
One of them, “On the Sweet Side,” makes its home on the porch at 1418 Emilie St. in Green Bay. The owners, Kristi VandenBoomen and Tresa Gilbert, say they thought about opening a Porch Bakery for years before opening about a month ago.
VandenBoomen said, “I've always wanted to do something like this. When Tresa and I were driving, we would look at other people's stalls and enjoy their homemade products. We thought, 'We could do that too.'”
VandenBoomen has a degree in business administration and said she dreamed of using that degree and starting a business. The Porch Bakery allows her to start slow and test the market before opening a brick-and-mortar store, something she would like to do one day. She believes the smaller company is a step in the right direction.
“We thought about doing this for four or five years and then waited until we thought the time was right,” VandenBoomen said. “We were waiting for life to calm down or something, but we realized there would never be a perfect time.”
Finally, they decided to take the plunge. They found a free entertainment center online that could be repurposed. Within a few weeks they sanded, painted and decorated it for the porch. A name was chosen (it was her second choice after it turned out the chosen first name was already in use), a logo and graphics were designed, a Facebook page was created, a menu was put together, and numerous trips to the grocery store were made to pick up supplies.
The stand opened at the end of September.
“There were quite a few people coming. The stand looked good – it was full of everything. We were nervous and over-the-top because we were afraid we wouldn't be there anymore,” VandenBoomen said.
While fears of not having enough remain, she said they are also paying more attention to spending so the company is profitable. Prices are set based on the cost of goods and the time required to produce the items. They focus on producing a unique variety of items such as skull-decorated brownies, cake pops, and peanut butter balls. There is a selection of breads with regular white bread and flavors like cinnamon, pumpkin and zucchini.
She said: “We can't make a living from it yet, but we have reasonable expectations and are looking at different ways to market the business.”
Purchases are made on a fee-for-service basis and cash and deposit options are available. There is a camera for security.
There is currently no camera at Marissa Berman's sweet spot Sourdough Bakery on Cora Street. She's still trying to find the right balance between porch sales and special orders.
As she works to earn a nursing degree, her journey as a home baker begins after she becomes fascinated with online videos.
She said: “I started seeing videos everywhere of home bakers setting up shop on porches and selling sourdough breads and other items. In December I decided to make my own sourdough starter and decided to give it a try a few months later.”
The result was Sweet Spot Sourdough Bakery. Berman said she has always loved baking and had a knack for it. She initially sold bread, cookies, brownies and cinnamon rolls and held weekly bake sales on the porch. Despite the planning, things didn't go as expected.
“It took about six months to get the business off the ground,” she said. “It seemed like everyone was making sourdough, but not everyone liked it, so I moved to a more inclusive menu. I had to change my marketing to say that Sweet Spot Sourdough is more than just sourdough.”
Most of the marketing is done on Nextdoor, but she has also added a Facebook page and posted more posts. She is trying to build an email list to promote special orders and promote special offers. On the porch, she always finds the right balance between presenting products like an apple pie that she considers “perfect” and selling other products.
“Initially, I imagined a big launch, but that was just daydreaming. As I watched the videos, I thought I was going to start this business and make real money and help people who couldn't afford it. That was my first vision. Then I got a reality check of what it would look like. With a year ahead of me, I can say the business is growing and the social media views are through the roof,” Berman said.
She tries to differentiate the company by adding additional items to purchases and offering discounts to military members and underprivileged people. Her goal is to find the right formula and have a steady customer base so that the business can flourish as a side hustle once she begins her nursing career.
Her advice to others starting a similar business is: “Be patient and take your time. You won't get customers right away just because you set up a booth on your porch. Some businesses may boom right away, but that doesn't happen to most people.”
But the influx of businesses across the region is evidence that many are taking the time to build successful businesses. Vendors listed on Nextdoor include: Green Bay Bread Shed, 1137 Dousman St., specializing in sourdough bread and a variety of other baked goods; Leaven & Leaf, 1473 Silver Cliff Court, Howard, with uniquely flavored breads, cinnamon rolls, muffins and more; and Sisterly Sourdough, 2689 Dutchman Road, Ledgeview.
While most bakers focus on building a successful hobby business, Sisterly Sourdough has a mission that goes beyond that.
On their Facebook page, they write: “We are sisters Carli and Alli who discovered our passion for sourdough baking when COVID hit in 2020. We started paying attention to ingredient labels and quickly realized we wanted better options for our children. We only use organic ingredients. If we didn't feed them to our children, we wouldn't sell them to you.”
Her story continues: “In July, Alli was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, so we realized there was no better time to start sharing our baked goods than with the gift.”
The money earned through her business is used to “help her little family stay afloat” while her husband cuts back on his work to help at home with their three children.
While speaking to some of the bakers, their motivations vary, but they share a love of baking and a mission to provide first-class bread and other goods. You'll learn the basics of business by monitoring expenses and income, setting up accounting systems, and refining marketing. They are also determined.
“This may be my first business, but I’m sticking with it,” Berman said.
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and former district director of SCORE, Wisconsin.