Shelley Gupta With BāKIT Box

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Chicago, Illinois. It’s time for Chicago Business Radio. Brought to you by firmspace, your private sanctuary for productivity and growth. To learn more, go to firmspace.com. Now here’s your host.

Max Kantor: [00:00:21] Hey, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Chicago Business Radio. I’m your host, Max Kantor. And before we get started, as always, today’s show is sponsored by firmSpace, thanks to firm Space, because without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. And we have a great show for you today. On today’s show, we have the co founder and CEO of Bake It Box. So please welcome to the show, Shelly Gupta. Welcome to the show, Shelly.

Shelley Gupta: [00:00:45] Thank you so much for having me.

Max Kantor: [00:00:46] So let’s jump right in. What is Bake It box and how to get started?

Shelley Gupta: [00:00:51] Yeah, absolutely. So Bake It Box is a specialty baking kit service. We create culturally diverse baking kits, things that you can’t find in the grocery store, and we provide all the pre measured ingredients so you can bake at home. We started this. I started with my best friend and co-founder in 2020. We started it because we both personally were realizing that there are so many pain points with baking at home and it really starts off with the the unlimited resources online and trying to filter through all this information online, buying ingredients in bulk. You waste a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of food. And so we wanted to create something that was all inclusive, making it really easy and convenient for people to bake from scratch. And with that really, really important cultural focus that that we feel very strongly about.

Max Kantor: [00:01:39] Totally. I mean, that was my favorite thing looking through you guys website is, you know, typically when I think of like prepackaged baked goods that lead you step by step, I think of just like the standard chocolate cake or the standard cupcakes. But you guys have such a great variety of foods.

Shelley Gupta: [00:01:57] Yeah, absolutely. That was really important to us. I come from an Indian and Canadian household, my co-founders, Puerto Rican and Mexican. And so just our own cultures are so enriching that we wanted to we wanted to touch on different cuisines all around the globe.

Max Kantor: [00:02:11] Now, did you pick your personal favorite kind of baked goods to start with? How did you grow that options as your business grew?

Shelley Gupta: [00:02:21] Yeah, we kind of did. We started off with things that we really felt that we were gravitating towards. We started off my co founder started created one of our first recipes, which is still my favorite. It’s our mini empanadas. They’re covered in cinnamon sugar filled with jam. They’re just delicious. We started off with essentially 4 to 6 recipes just to kind of see where the what the market was going to tell us. And we were finding that people loved it. They were coming back to the website and purchasing again. So from there, we just kept developing more and more recipes and getting inspiration from different cuisines around the globe.

Max Kantor: [00:02:57] And as people were at home during COVID, I know you mentioned you started in 2020. So it’s kind of like a perfect storm of people being at home and kind of turning to, at least for me, you know, YouTube to grow new skills. A lot of people turn to baking. So how did that impact your growth as a company?

Shelley Gupta: [00:03:16] Yeah, absolutely. You know, that was the inspiration for the company, to be honest, because as we as we all saw when we were all at home and we had more time on our hands, the activity almost everybody across the world chose to do was to bake. And it really kind of clicked for us that, you know, we we desire these types of abilities to create, to explore in the kitchen, to feel that that benefit of being able to create something from scratch. We just don’t have the time anymore. You know, we are a different generation of people. Our lifestyles are so, so busy. So it was really, truly the inspiration for Bake Box. We also found that as people were still kind of stuck at home and needing activities to do with their kids or with their friends. It was becoming such a great solution and something new and innovative for them. So we had a great first year and we’re growing from there.

Max Kantor: [00:04:11] How do you guys craft your recipes?

Shelley Gupta: [00:04:15] So we started off actually doing them personally and working with our team. So we are part of an incubator program here in Chicago called the Hatchery. So we started off with them working through how to create and develop recipes. And as we’ve grown, we’ve actually hired a pastry chef who’s fantastic, so we work very closely with her. On pulling inspiration and creating unique recipes.

Max Kantor: [00:04:39] Gotcha. So at the hatchery is that’s kind of where your test kitchen is.

Shelley Gupta: [00:04:44] Exactly. Yes.

Max Kantor: [00:04:45] Gotcha. Okay. Very cool. How long does it take you to develop a recipe from the start to the finish?

Shelley Gupta: [00:04:53] Good question. It could take a few months because what we do is we we try we change our menu every two months and we pull from the holidays the different seasonality, the flavors of those months. So, for example, for May and June, right now we’re focused on Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Father’s Day pride. It’s the Asian Pacific Islander Month as well. I may have said that wrong. Apologies. So we basically do a lot of research on looking at what holidays are important, what cuisines are important during that time of year, and then we start to develop from there. In addition, we test everything personally. So my co-founder and I take each of the recipes once they’re developed, and we actually try to do them in our own kitchens. So an average household type of scenario to make sure that it’s super user friendly for our customers. Once we finalize all of that, then we actually go into actual development of the kits to make sure they’re done correctly. The measurements all make sense and the recipe card is reflective of what is going in your kit. So it can take a few months to do that whole process for one recipe.

Max Kantor: [00:05:58] I love that you’re changing it up every couple of months because that way when someone gets a subscription, you’re always kind of keeping them on their toes. They don’t know what’s coming next and that keeps it fresh and fun.

Shelley Gupta: [00:06:07] Exactly.

Max Kantor: [00:06:08] So when someone gets their box, they’ve ordered a box. What comes in that box for them to bake?

Shelley Gupta: [00:06:15] Yes. So you get each individual kit will have it’ll all be labeled, but you’ll get all your pre measured ingredients with the labels, with the measurements on there, you get a very detailed recipe card. It has images of how to do each of the steps, so you just know where you stand at each point in time. We want to make it super user friendly and the recipe, the full recipes on there as well. We wanted to make sure that we weren’t hiding anything from our customers or not giving them the full detail. So you can keep that card, throw it in a folder in a binder, and make it again in the future. So that’s everything that comes in the kit. When you’re a subscriber, a new subscriber, we give a little bit of a gift in the beginning as well, and the goal is to build that recipe, database and portfolio of all these different cuisines.

Max Kantor: [00:07:03] Now, for me, I am such a bad cook. I’m the one who’s YouTubing like how to make pasta? Still, it’s embarrassing, but my mom, she’s like, Alex Gordon, Shelly. She’s whipping it up in the kitchen. She’s great. Oh, yeah, amazing. So what skill level is good for Bake It box?

Shelley Gupta: [00:07:21] You can absolutely be a beginner with Bake Box and that’s what we want it to focus on. So we have customers that are very, very new to baking and we also have customers that are more avid bakers. We do categorize each of our recipe kits by easy, intermediate or advanced, and that is really just based on certain skills you may not have been familiar with or comfortable with. We also, as I mentioned, because we test it and in an environment where we’re looking for making it as easy as possible, my co-founder and I will break down even baking terminology and jargon and make sure that it’s super clear what that means, because that’s what we found was difficult when we were just baking on our own. When you find a recipe online, I find myself as well Googling on the side or doing some research or being like, Wait, what does that word mean? What’s the technique here? And so we want to make sure that that is not something that needs to be done with our kits. Our recipe card will give you exactly what needs to be done. We will even be be like, yes, it should look like that. It should be liquidy and gooey or whatever it should be in that step. We validate that as you go along and we have those images. So truly it’s great for beginners. Funny enough, we have some more advanced bakers that love our kits too, because it’s just it’s so easy. There’s no mess, there’s no waste. You have everything already in your bags. It makes cleanup a lot easier than it would be if you were measuring everything out from these retail sized bulk bags.

Max Kantor: [00:08:49] Totally. And that’s so accessible to everybody. And that’s what you’re doing. You’re making it accessible to everyone so everyone can experience, you know, the joy of baking something in the kitchen.

Shelley Gupta: [00:08:59] Exactly. It’s such a beautiful feeling to create something from scratch and step away from your busy lifestyle. No screen time like parents love it because it occupies their kids for a couple of hours. It’s just fun. And, you know, I really enjoy even now when I’m. Testing recipes, even though it is for work. I still love that experience of being able to create something and see what you can do in the kitchen with your hands.

Max Kantor: [00:09:23] Now, to order your kits, do people have to get a subscription or can they order them individually if they like a recipe?

Shelley Gupta: [00:09:30] Yes. So we offer both a la carte as well as subscriptions. So on the website there are a few of our recipes that we offer to anyone who is not a subscriber. And then we have a little bit more of a detailed menu or more menu options for subscribers.

Max Kantor: [00:09:46] So my next question for you is a little bit of a two parter. One, what has been your personal favorite recipe you all have made so far? And two, can you tease an upcoming recipe that you’re excited about?

Shelley Gupta: [00:09:59] Yeah, absolutely. So one of my favorites is still from the original menu when we first launched, it’s our mini empanadas with Berry Jam. They are just so good. You we walk you through how to make the dough. The dough has cream cheese in it, so you can imagine how delicious that turns out. It’s filled with jam covered in cinnamon sugar. They are just so good and they’re pretty small. And I found myself eating too many of them when I make them a few times. There was one day in particular that my co-founder and I were prepping for a photo shoot and I ate like half the batch. And she’s like, Kelly, we haven’t shot them yet. And I was like, Sorry, they’re too good. I can’t put it down. The one of the recipes that just came out for Mother’s Day and for the spring season, it’s called Our Persian Love Cake. Oh, my gosh. It is phenomenal. It has rosewater in it and cardamom. Wow. And when you open that little rosewater bottle we give you, it smells so fragrant. I made a batch last week, and my apartment smelled fantastic for a few days, so that one is really cool. It has these flavors from the Middle East that you will love. It’s like a traditional white cake with these enhancements, and it really, really smells delicious. It’s covered in pistachios and icing sugar. So good. I would absolutely encourage you to try it. And it’s on sale right now because we want to inspire for Mother’s Day to give your mom a little love.

Max Kantor: [00:11:23] Definitely. And I’ll tell you, it’s a good thing I ate lunch before this interview because woo hoo. You describe it in such vivid detail. Oh, boy.

Shelley Gupta: [00:11:30] Oh, wow. Oh, thank you. I always I always I admire people who can talk about food that makes you want it. So I’m glad you said that.

Max Kantor: [00:11:38] Oh, yeah, definitely. So you said you’ve been doing this for for about two years now, since 2020. For you personally, what’s been the most rewarding part of the Bake It Box journey?

Shelley Gupta: [00:11:50] Oh, wow. There’s so many. Honestly, it’s been a lot of things along the way. I was I come from an entrepreneurial family, but I hadn’t really, really, really gotten that part of part of my background out yet. I had done some projects, I’d work with some things, but this is my first, first project that’s truly. Truly an entrepreneurial venture. So even the first website draft that was launched, it was February 12th, 2021. As soon as it went live like those, the small wins, I think for me have been really, really wonderful. Seeing our first sale was so exciting. We didn’t know if anyone would buy it. So these all of these small things really add up to showing that we are making an impact. And one of the most rewarding moments for me. It was actually so interesting. I sent a box to an investor, a potential investor. He was an older gentleman, never really baked himself. And when we got on the phone call, he said that he had his two teenagers help him bake it before the call so he could be prepared and male and female teenage kids. And he said he has not had that type of connection and interaction with his kids and with them with each other in months. And that really warmed my heart to hear that like our box could bring them together that way. A man that does not bake, his teenage kids that probably have their busy lifestyles and are occupied with things in their life, school and friends and all that. It was such a beautiful moment and we were like, This is what we are trying to accomplish. This is why we’re doing this. And that was just a moment I always hold on to.

Max Kantor: [00:13:32] Totally. You guys have both built something special and bake it box. And so when you get to experience those moments, that’s what it’s all about.

Shelley Gupta: [00:13:38] Absolutely.

Max Kantor: [00:13:39] So if someone is interested in either starting of subscription with Bake It Box or wants to try recipes individually, how can they find out more or order from you?

Shelley Gupta: [00:13:50] Absolutely. They can go to our website. We bake it vox.com, that’s baking tea box and both options are there for you if you want to subscribe. There’s on the front page, there’s some details about how you can do that. You pick two kits per month and every month you get to choose from a new menu, which is really great. Or if you’re not ready to subscribe, there are options for you to try us out, including the Persian Love Cake. So definitely check out the website and you can also contact us through the website.

Max Kantor: [00:14:23] That’s great. Well, Shelly, thank you so much for being on the show today. It was awesome talking to you about Bake It Box and all the all the stuff you both are doing.

Shelley Gupta: [00:14:31] Thank you so much for having me, Max.

Max Kantor: [00:14:33] And thank you for listening to another episode of Chicago Business Radio. I’m your host, Max Kanter, and we’ll see you next time.

Intro: [00:14:41] This episode of Chicago Business Radio has been brought to you by firm space, your private sanctuary for productivity and growth. To learn more, go to firm Space.com.