Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Bulthuis.
Hi Kari, 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?
My name is Kari Bulthuis. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Richard. We have two boys, Gavin 22, and Evan 19. I work full time as a medical Speech-Language Pathologist. I love to bake! I started baking when my boys were born, it was important to me to bake their birthday cakes from scratch. I enjoy baking and sharing treats with others and am often the person asked to bring treats to gatherings and events. My love for baking came to a sudden halt in 2019 when I was diagnosed withceliac disease. I could no longer bake all the treats my family loved. I tried baking using gluten free flour but nothing tasted the same and the texture wasn’t right. Gluten is hidden in many foods and ingredients, and dedicated gluten free ingredients are very expensive. I wasted a lot of money and cried many tears when trying to learn to bake gluten free. My family encouraged me to keep trying and eventually I figured out how to successfully bake without the structure, absorbency, and elasticity of gluten. I baked regularly for family and friends who could never tell my desserts were gluten free and was encouraged to share my talents with others. With a big push from my family and friends, and the impending empty nest my husband and I would have, I took a leap and started my cottage bakery, baKed GF.
I attend community events and bake custom orders regularly. The feedback and support from the community has been incredible. There is an increasing need and demand for gluten free food and I feel blessed to be able to help provide options for those who would otherwise go without. I’ve had customers jump up and down with excitement and literally cry when learning that all of my treats are gluten free! I have a handful of young children with celiac disease who I also get to bake for. I try to regularly incorporate some dairy free items and bake other allergen orders with great care. To be asked to bake for celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, weddings, and holidays is such an honor. So much of life revolves around food, and as someone with celiac disease, I empathize with how hard it is to not be included or considered when attending events. I take great pride in offering treat options that can be shared with others or be provided as a personal treat.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
At times, it can be difficult to find quality, affordable, gluten free ingredients. I try to keep my prices affordable, and have absorbed many rising costs in the past year (egg and cocoa shortages) to avoid raising prices.
Another challenge is trying to change the stigma and perception surrounding gluten free food. It doesn’t have to be dry, dense, or flavorless. It’s a great feeling when non gluten free customers try my products and rave about them being even better than “regular” treats.
One of the biggest challenges is trying to find the time to bake as much as requested and as much as I’d like to. My goal is to reduce my hours at work to open up my schedule and be able to accommodate more of the order requests I receive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a registered cottage baker with the state of Minnesota. I bake in a dedicated gluten free kitchen. Currently, I do the baking all on my own. I’m at the point where I definitely could hire additional people to help, but my tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist has held me back. My husband and sons help me as much as they can, and I have great friends who help at events too. I bake a variety of treats including: cookies, bars, cupcakes, mini cakes, cakes, scones, poptarts, and more. I don’t have a set menu but definitely have some fan favorites that I make regularly. I accept custom orders, which includes making treat boxes for students at UMD and St. Scholastica, attend community events, have holiday offerings, and do frequent porch pick up sales when I have extra treats available. My son Gavin is a Data Scientist and he has created some great apps for me to catalog recipes, track sales, calculate pricing, etc. This has been very helpful as I always say that I don’t love the business aspect, I just want to bake treats and make people happy!
How do you think about happiness?
The thing that makes me most happy is being with my family. Now that our boys are grown and away at college, our time spent together as a family is less frequent, but much more treasured. I enjoy baking and testing new recipes. I just started my gluten free sourdough starter and am excited to tackle baking gluten free bread! I love to read. My husband and I also really enjoy gardening; he takes care of our vegetable gardens and I manage our flower gardens. We created 3 new pollinator gardens last summer. I’m a caregiver by nature, so feeding others, and being able to bring joy through baking makes my heart so happy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakedgfduluth?igsh=MXdjZGc1ZGc5dmhuaw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Copix6ARQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
