San Antonio-based vegan bakery Southern Roots says it has doubled its sales amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
The bakery is owned by husband-and-wife duo Marcus and Cara Pitts. The pair say they have received “thousands” of orders. This comes after their bakery was highlighted by various media outlets during a push for consumers to support Black-owned businesses.
“It has been exciting, challenging, and eye-opening,” Cara told LIVEKINDLY.
Initially, the bakery didn’t have enough resources—such as bakeware, mixers, and ovens—to cater to the high volume of orders it received.
“We are a made from scratch bakery, so we had to order a lot of equipment so that caused some delay. It’s the little things like that where you have to extend some grace to small businesses that have a spotlight shown overnight on them,” she explained.
The Pitts said they have hired more staff to help with the surge in demand. “We are working seven days a week to fulfill the orders,” said Cara. “Thankfully our customers have been understanding and supportive.”
Southern Roots Bakery
The Pitts founded Southern Roots in 2018. They started selling their products in late 2019.
“We started at our local farmer’s markets and then participated in our monthly vegan markets around San Antonio,” Cara explained.
They credit their business expertise to Break Fast and Launch—a business culinary accelerator program offered through Launch SA. Launch SA is an entrepreneurship hub for small businesses in San Antonio.
The ten-week course taught the couple “the ups and downs of starting a food business.” It also gave them access to mentors and a wealth of other resources. “Without this class, we would not be in business still today,” Cara said.
The Pitts went plant-based after watching the vegan documentary “What the Health.” The 2017 film critiques the health impact of animal products and examines the link between disease and diet.
Now, healthy eating has become an important part of the Pitts’ lives.
“Plant-based eating is important for us because it reduces our risks for diseases and it makes you feel good. We don’t have the sluggish feeling when we finish eating a plant-based meal,” she said.
