Mouth Watering Handcrafted Goods

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melissa Dubien, Owner of Sift, located in Newcastle, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Sift is a family-run neighborhood bake shop. We bake everything we sell from scratch. Whether it's our granola, bread, pastries, or preserves, everything is made with the highest quality ingredients we can source in-house. We even make the flavored coffee syrups used for our lattes in-house.

Our little shop is situated in the heart of downtown Newcastle. The community is a rapidly expanding one, and the locals have been so gracious and wonderful in welcoming and supporting us. From Baby shower cupcakes to grazing boxes for meetings and brunch boxes for long lazy weekends, the Newcastle community has been genuinely kind to us.

Tell us about yourself

I am Melissa Dubien, one-half of the team behind Sift. While you are probably thinking, I am going to tell you that I have been baking since before I could walk, that is just not the case. To be honest, I was 25 and burning water. That all changed when I had my daughter. I wanted to make her birthday cakes and cookies and give her all those kitchen memories that people tell you they have. So I learned, taught myself the basics, and discovered that baking was incredibly therapeutic. The instant gratification of someone enjoying what I baked for them was wonderful.

At 35, I went to culinary school with the goal of opening my own bake shop. I did well in school, graduated as the highest ranking graduate, and won the Gold Star Award that came with a trip to Italy to attend the Italian Culinary Institute. I learned so much during my time in Calabria that when I came home, I put my plan to open Sift into high gear.

My motivation is simple. Really, I want to share my love of local, fresh, seasonal food with my community. Introduce people to flavors, textures, and desserts they have never tried and help them find a new favorite. To be included in someone's special moments, whether happy or sad, is the greatest honor.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner comes in the form of our repeat customers. The people who come back week after week who share their stories and laughter with us and bring a small piece of me (in the form of our food) along with them to their occasions is truly a feeling that I struggle to put into words. While we have only been in business for a little over a year, we have many customers who come by the store weekly, often a few times a week. Getting to know these people has been unexpectedly the part of owning the business that has made the biggest impact on me.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing about being a business owner is realizing that no matter how hard you try, no matter how well you think you have prepared, no matter how much heart you put into the business, you simply can not make everyone happy. Not letting negative criticism completely deflate you is an important skill to have.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Be inspired and passionate about the business that you are opening.
Have a plan but understand that not everything is going to go to that plan. How you react when things go wrong is more important than all your plans for things going right.
Remember that there is always something yet to be learned, be it from your competition, your customers, or your environment. There is always more to know.

Sift runs on the ethos that there is enough room for us all to shine. We believe in community or competition, always. The relationships that we have built with other small business owners both in our industry and out have been a constant source of support, comfort, and inspiration for us. It is these relationships that we feel most thankful for.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.bakedatsift.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakedatsift/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakedatsift/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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