Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Kauzmann.
Hi Sarah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Pipit’s Bakery started during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all remember that was a time of high uncertainty and high boredom for many. I had been working part time as a pastry chef and part time remotely as a graphic designer before the pandemic hit so although I switched to limited hours for the pastry chef job, I was lucky enough to be able to keep the graphic design position with little change. That being the case, I was still working half as much as I had been and, as with many others, was struggling with anxiety and fear over what was going to happen next in the world. So I thought what better time to start my own business, right? (I say this with a healthy sprinkle of sarcasm). But as it turned out, starting Pipit’s helped me focus on something new and exciting.
Pipit’s Bakery began as an online only mail-order bakery since there were limited other avenues to sell products when most of the world was shut down. Over the first few years I slowly backed away from online sales and moved towards local events and farmers markets as I quickly realized I loved interacting with my customers face to face. I still do a holiday sale at the end of the year and send out occasional packages when requested but my primary business now is physically setting up a tent, display items, and products at farmers markets and specialty events where I get to chit chat with customers some of whom I’ve now know for years and have become good friends.
The biggest, most recent hurtle I had to jump was in January 2025 deciding to build out a full commercial kitchen in my walk-out basement. This process was years in the making as I had been renting a kitchen for the first 5 years in business. However, with new owners taking over the kitchen I was renting and increasing the rental fee/agreement, I decided it was time to work on my own space. 6 months of building, most of the work done by myself, my parents, and brother and sister in law, I had a fully registered commercial kitchen to work out of starting in June of 2025. This new kitchen space has allowed me to add more markets, bake new and different things, and expand my horizons on where I can take Pipit’s Bakery in the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is anything a smooth road? There have been plenty of pot holes and speed bumps along my journey but they’ve mostly all taught me valuable lessons. An early one that is still one of my favorite “oh crap” moments was when I was renting the kitchen during the pandemic and was wearing a mask and realized at the end of a long baking day I had lost an earring. This was most likely not in the kitchen and instead at my car while I out on or took off the mask (ladies, you know what I’m talking about: when the mask would get caught on your earring and sometimes pull the backing off). I couldn’t be certain though where I had lost the earring so I had to “throw away” everything I had baked that day. No, I did not actually throw it away, instead I gave it all away to friends and family after literally metal detecting every. single. baked. good. (over 350 individual cookies/brownies/macarons) and telling every family member “there is a small chance there is an earring in one of these, if you find it, you win baked goods for life.” They all thought this was hilarious and gobbled everything up and no earring was ever found. I now wear next to no jewelry in my kitchen and thankfully no longer have to wear a mask.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
When I started Pipit’s Bakery, I didn’t have much of a plan/goal besides: make good treats to make people happy and if I’m being honest, that plan still stands today it’s just been a bit more fine tuned. My specialty at Pipit’s from the start has been French Macarons. I absolutely adore making them in bright colors, experimenting with different flavors, and especially love when a customer has never had them before and gets to try them for the first time. I’ve always thought macarons were so fancy and delicate and only sold at fancy expensive stores so I wanted to flip my own brains idea on it’s head. Over the years I realized one of my other key goals was to always keep my prices reasonable. I sell in many different towns with many different economic backgrounds and I wanted my products to be available to everyone. So beyond the “fancy” macarons, I make a variety of cookies and brownies and some other specialty items like S’mores Bars (a fan favorite) and cinnamon rolls (a personal favorite) and I make sure the prices of all of these are reasonable. I want a family to be able to come up and buy a few things and not break the bank. You shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to treat yourself or your loved ones.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Probably to trust and believe in myself. I’m six years into this business and I still have imposter syndrome sometimes. I still catch myself thinking negatively about “if I’m a good baker” or if I’m just winging it, which to be honest I am sometimes but I think many business owners are at times. There is no guidebook for how to start a business when there are so many different routes you can take. I have to constantly remind myself that my business might not look like someone else’s and that’s fine, that’s excellent actually, because if it was exactly the same as someone else’s business it wouldn’t be uniquely mine.
Pricing:
- $3 for most items, including macarons, cookies, and brownies.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pipitsbakery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pipitsbakery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipitsbakery
