It’s been over a year since Naperville bakery Moose & Me started serving up pastries at its storefront location at 3075 Book Rd., Suite 151.
The business was baked up in the kitchen of local couple Justin and Megan Elder during the pandemic. Almost five years later, a lot has changed for the nonprofit.
The now brick-and-mortar bakery employs adults of all abilities and is named after the couple’s daughter Mila, nicknamed Moose, who has Down syndrome. Her love for baking sparked the idea for the business.
“We employ our employees, and create great environments for them to work in, safe places for them to be successful in what they’re doing,” said Megan Elder, founder of Moose & Me.
Moose & Me Bakery welcomes new faces and pastries
Elder said they’ve come a long way since they first began. What started as a team of three employees has now risen to 14.
“We have more employees, which is really exciting. Our employees are the heart of our business. And so always adding new employees, It’s kind of our favorite thing. It’s the best part of the job,” said Elder.
In addition to hiring new faces, they’ve also started selling new baked goods.
“As we’ve kind of grown throughout this past year, we’ve tested different products. What works, what doesn’t work, and kind of listen to community feedback. And so we’ve been able to try out new things. We’re still evolving as we go.” she said.
Over the summer, Elder also held camps at the bakery, teaching children about making pastries.
“Our summer camps were themed. Every week was a different theme. And they would come in and do pastries and cookies, cupcakes all, like, all around that different theme. And then they would also do like a craft or a game activity to go with it,” she said.
Naperville community comes together for the bakery
The camps helped keep the store up and running during the less busy months, which she said brought some challenges.
“Our hardship was learning those seasons of busyness to not busy. And how do we, bring in revenue during those times when it’s not busy in order to continue to pay our staff, rent, all our overhead, all the things that we didn’t have as a home kitchen, all the things that still have to be paid every month, even when you’re not in a busy season,” said Elder.
Donations and fundraising, she said, were crucial to keep the bakery alive.
“The community stepped up in a big way and helped us out as well,” Elder said. “And we wouldn’t be here without the support of Naperville and beyond. People that we haven’t met before have been supporting us, and we are just so grateful for that.”
As the bakery continues to grow, they’re working to find new ways to maintain a consistent revenue stream. But Elder’s proud of the work they’ve done so far, and the difference they’ve made.
“We are really driving success for our employees and purpose ,” said Elder.
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