Ever wonder how your favorite bakery came to be?
Well, here’s the story, (at least the short version).
Bettersweet began in the spring of 2007, in a rented kitchen about the size of your average oversized closet. One oven, two countertops and a three basin sink. Our first clients came to us at the Elkhart Lake Farmer’s Market, where Jen set up camp under an old white tent, selling a variety of homemade goodies – pies, muffins, sweet breads, brownies, etc…. and let’s not forget our famous fresh fruit tarts. Immediately there was a following of people who appreciated the quality and taste of what they purchased from that little table.
By Christmas time, there was a mailing list and a brochure, and oh, there were cookies. A few months later, late spring 2008, Bettersweet moved into the basement of Jen’s home, where it is currently located. The space was about double that of the rented kitchen, with a single wall of shelves. By the end of 2008, plans were in motion for a facility expansion – what you currently see today.
During 2009, Bettersweet’s business and clientele doubled, and then doubled again. The word was certainly out! This amount of growth presented the need for more staff. Early 2010, Jen hired within and taught her new husband Curt, how to bake. And answer the phone. And order supplies. And deliver. And make strong coffee. The years that followed included 3 magazine features, several awards and newspaper articles, and a growing clientele. A decade in with over 1000 weddings created and the invention of the cake scrap, Bettersweet was becoming a household name.
The second decade brought continual growth. Pivoting during the pandemic and the beginning of a la carte. Margo and Abe became employed as the farmer’s market continued each summer, our holiday season hosted local artisans in our lobby market and each week we worked hard at adding to your celebrations. Truthfully, time passed by and we lost track of how many weddings we’d been a part of.
Now, 20 years from the start, we’ve marveled at how we used to do ‘all that’ and have begun down a slightly simpler path. We took one step back and cared for Jen’s mom as she graciously fought through her ALS diagnosis until early 2026. [She was the inventor of the cake scrap!] Another step back was taken early 2026 as Curt [our main baker] slipped on ice and in a moment, was out of work for the remainder of the calendar year; leaving Jen to run the show, solo. That brings you to the current season, in which we’ve moved to a capacity of weddings and similar events along with a la carte, farmer’s markets and pop up events.
Looking into the next year, we’ll be adding classes at the bakery and heading to a new farmer’s market over the winter season.
A gracious thank you to all of our customers, without whom our ovens would be empty.