Rise and Shine, Colorful Coloradans!
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve probably seen a few sweet treats featuring caramel sauces from Sweet Addict Bakery. The talented owner, Deidre, was kind of enough to share some background about herself and her business, which is really inspiring! It’s amazing getting to see someone do what they’re passionate about!
“I officially started the business in 2009 while I was attending law school. My skills were shaped by my Dutch heritage and their superb baking talents – so starting with good recipes really helped develop the basics and then I just expanded from there. I’m also a stress-eater so the more schooling and harder it got, the more time I spent baking. At one point my tiny condo kitchen was busting at the seams with candies, truffles, baked breads, cookies, caramels, etc. About the same time, I found Etsy and started selling.
I ended up maintaining the Etsy page as a hobby off and on for a few years while I continued school and then began working for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in Fort Collins, CO. Then we started having kids and it got to the point that the hobby was on the verge of becoming more than a full-time job but I wasn’t brave enough to leave my secure position at the SO to pursue it further so I ended up shutting down the page for a few years.
During that time, we had another kid and my husband’s job moved us to the Springs where he works for the fire department. I worked with the police department for a short time, but we quickly realized that the two of us working long hours and at odd times of the day was getting very expensive for childcare and we were in fact losing money. In April of 2016, I quit that job and dedicated to Sweet Addict Bakery full-time. We starting selling at several farmer’s markets around town, expanded the online listings and established a local customer base. That freedom also allowed us to expand our family, so now we’ve got three girls: ages 5, 3 and 6 months.
I just recently signed a contract to start wholesaling our items as well so they will soon be available in stores across Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Mississippi – with more to come!
Ideally, I would like to be in my own storefront within the next year. At the moment, I’m renting out a small commercial kitchen space in one location and then having to transport everything around town to sell at Zero Fox Given and several markets each week. Having a kitchen and retail space in one location would be awesome!
Truth be told though, I’m living my dream at the moment, so I can’t complain too much. I have the flexibility and freedom to spend time with my family and work around my husband’s odd schedule while still being able to work a job that I enjoy. While it’s challenging and I spend a lot of time “working,” I find it extremely satisfying to be creative and make great-tasting foods that other people seem to enjoy as well.”
I hope you guys enjoyed reading about this business! Thanks again to Deidre for providing the information!
Leave me a comment telling me if you have favorite sauce/caramel and if you use it for a specific recipe so the rest of us can give it a try! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Mountain Gypsy 
The pecan pie caramel sauce is absolutely delicious over apple pie! Love these caramels and the sauces! The chocolate, oh the chocolate, I need to get some NOW!
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Yum, that sounds great! I’ll have to give the pecan one a try! Thanks for sharing!
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