HOW DID YOU GET INTRODUCED TO BAKING?
Baking has been a lifelong passion of mine. I’ve baked with my grandmothers ever since I was a child. We would make everything together, including peanut butter balls, cookies and, of course, cake pops. We were all very close. I feel like it is almost my culinary heritage.
WHEN DID YOU START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
Cake Pops By Alli was kind of born by accident. In 2020, my two daughters’ colleges shut down and they were out of a job. My oldest asked me to make some cake pops so they could try and sell them on Facebook. As a mom, I was just excited to bake and spend time with my girls. We sold out our very first weekend and decided to try it all over again.
WHAT KIND OF FLAVORS DO YOU OFFER?
Our standard flavors are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon and cookies and cream. We’ll also do seasonal flavors like peppermint, red velvet, chocolate mint, carrot cake and more.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ENJOY YOUR CAKE POPS?
For one thing, they have an enormous shelf life. Our cake pops last three weeks in the refrigerator and three months in the freezer, so you don’t have to feel pressed on when to enjoy them. I also feel like there’s something about giving people a gift that was custom-made for them.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE ASPIRATIONS?
We became an LLC just a year ago and bought our first commercial kitchen with plans to expand to a larger one by the end of the fall. We are also in the process of rolling out franchises within the next 12 months and hope to become the next big national baking brand within the next three years.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST GRATEFUL FOR WITH CAKE POPS BY ALLI?
Every day I walk into that bakery, I feel my grandmothers from the rafters cheering me on. I didn’t know this was the plan. I didn’t know this was going to be my path, but I’ve always wanted to cook for people. Now here I am, many years later doing just that. I feel overwhelmingly blessed, and I love sharing every bite that comes out of this bakery.