Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Valverde
Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We were able to start the business when several things all fell into play for us a bit unexpectedly. In 2010, I was working a photographer and my husband, Michael Valverde, was working at a coffee shop on 39th Street that had to close quickly. The owner of that coffee shop left all of his equipment to Michael and after talking to the landlord, we were able to jump in and take over that location. That was our original location, the yellow house on 39th. Michael and I are vegans and just had our first child and wanted more options for people like us with dietary restrictions. Also, having our first kid, we were also wanting options for her as she grew up for parties and events. My parents (John and Sharon Hughes) joined us in the venture as fellow owners. They definitely agreed there was a need for options for people with allergies as well as dietary restrictions. Our goal has always been to make our baked goods delicious and unrecognizable as vegan. Later we added some gluten free options and taught ourselves along the way. We really thought the coffee shop would be the focus and we’d have some baked goods, but we learned quickly that my mom and I would have to bake around the clock to keep us stocked. Eventually, we were able to hire some bakers and baristas and were growing. We got to the point around 2015, that we were needing to expand our kitchen as we had bakers working in an incredibly small space. Unfortunately, due the age and condition of the yellow house, expanding that kitchen wasn’t an option. We loved the space though, so we looked for a second space to primarily be the kitchen. That was when we found our Overland Park location. We had also hired William Sims who has a background in baking and food science. He was so incredibly helpful and passionate about his work that we couldn’t imagine continuing without him as a part of the ownership team. He became another part owner around 2017. We were able to keep both shops open with our kitchen supplying enough baked foods for both locations and some wholesale until Covid hit. We struggled through that, closing for a bit and then opening for curbside and window pick up only. Eventually we realized it wasn’t sustainable, and we had to shrink down to survive. Although we loved the 39th Street location, we needed to go where the kitchen was. So, we closed our 39th Street location in 2021 and focused on rebuilding. We always knew we wanted to be a bit closer to the city and recently found our current location off of Johnson Drive in Mission. It has the kitchen we need to help us expand on out baked goods. Michael has MS and unfortunately is getting to the point where we want him to be able to focus on his health, so we have removed the espresso bar and now make his recipes to measurements in glass jars, removing all the coffee cup waste and are focusing on our bakery items. We hope to offer baking mixes and grab and go items soon. We regularly have had to pivot but believe in what we do so strongly that we are excited for what’s to come.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, like most small businesses we have had a lot of ups and downs. I am so glad there are five of us working to improve the business and brainstorm as we go. Our biggest challenges have been Covid and Michael’s health. We do have to constantly be creative to make sure we can keep business up to cover costs.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are a vegan bakery, so we specialize in vegan baked goods which sets us apart. We have items ranging from breakfast biscuit sandwiches, kolaches, cupcakes, muffins, cookies, pies, full cakes, etc. We are also able to work with a lot of people with allergies and food intolerances. William is constantly working up fun, new flavor options and baked goods with our bakers.
How do you define success?
I would define success as being able to support my family, the business and our team while doing something I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mudpiebakery.com
- Instagram: @mudpieveganbakery
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/mudpieveganbakery
- Other: https://www.ordermudpie.com
