I launched a gluten-free bakery from my kitchen after leaving finance. It's on track to make $3M in revenue this year.
Gluten-free baker Addison LaBonte details her journey from finance to founding a thriving bakery, using social media and customer input for growth.
Addison LaBonte is the founder of Sweet Addison's, a gluten-free bakery in Dallas. After a layoff in finance in 2023, she launched the bakery from her kitchen. Sweet Addison's has experienced rapid growth and is now on track to generate over $3 million in revenue this year. The business employs a team of 10 people and has gained significant social media following, with over 600,000 followers across various platforms.
LaBonte's journey began when she had an online audience of about 150,000 people who followed her for gluten-free dessert recommendations. She noticed a gap in the market for clean-ingredient, indulgent-tasting desserts and decided to create a product that would cater to the needs of the gluten-free community. With her existing audience's demand for her bakery, she launched Sweet Addison's in January 2024. Her early customers were her social media followers, whom she had built a rapport with over six years.
Initially, she operated from her apartment kitchen, turning it into a bustling workspace filled with cookies. Over time, the business grew, and in the first month of operations, it generated around $8,000 in sales. LaBonte had ambitious plans from the start, envisioning the bakery as a national company. As the business expanded, she moved to a commercial kitchen and now leads a team of 10 people. They ship their products nationwide, with a significant portion of their business in Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City.
LaBonte emphasizes the importance of social media in connecting with customers. On Instagram, they have 325,000 followers, TikTok has 103,000 followers, and Facebook has 203,000 followers, totaling over 600,000. She attributes the growth of the business to consistency, daily posting, and engaging with customers through Instagram stories and answering their direct messages. LaBonte also actively involves her audience in decision-making by asking them to vote on flavors and ingredients for future products.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
