Community Highlights: Meet Miguel Caraballo of Flaky not Flaky: Bake Shoppe & Chocolatarium

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miguel Caraballo.

Hi Miguel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My wife Anna and I met in college almost 30 years ago. Early on we wanted to work together but life took us on different paths and we put our dream on the back-burner. When COVID hit, like many others, we found ourselves at a fork in the road. Do we keep working for others or do we bet on ourselves? So in November of 2021 we started Flaky not Flaky as an online bake shoppe and chocolatarium. Orders were picked up curbside and we did enough business to pay the bills. So we kept going.

As the world opened back up, we were invited to participate in Downtown’s Green Market at Peachtree Center on Thursdays. We then started pitching our tent at various art festivals hosted by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces (AFFPS). This step expanded our presence into Metro Atlanta’s surrounding neighborhoods and helped us begin to build community. People started following us on Instagram to find where we were popping up next. To manage the increased production, we moved into a shared kitchen in Doraville, would bake there, then take our goodies on the road. By 2023 we added bigger festivals – like Atlanta Christkindl (located in Buckhead at that time, now in Lawrenceville) – and the Peachtree Rd. Farmers Market (still located in Buckhead).

As you can probably tell, we were stretched incredibly thin spread out across Metro Atlanta. In 2024 we opened Flaky not Flaky Bake Shoppe and Chocolatarium’s first permanent location in Downtown Atlanta’s Truist Garden food court. People ask us often “why Downtown”. The answer is simple. We believe in the Downtown community. Eyes wide open, Downtown has seen – and continues to work through real challenges. Atlanta is not alone, but here’s the thing. We believe Flaky adds a place where locals and visitors will find a place that delivers a real sense of belonging. We focus on hospitality and the experience of visiting with us. There is a song by Gonzo the muppet that says “there’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met”. And that lyric encapsulates how we operate. We are a family business and every person who visits Flaky instantly becomes a member of our family. And don’t you make a special effort for family? We do. Every person – every time. Every item, starting with our Original Sconuts to our handcrafted sandwiches and coffee drinks are scrutinized for quality and consistency.

Our expectations are high. It’s not “fast food” even though Flaky is in a food court. Every item we offer is premium – artisanal flours, European butters, Venezuelan chocolate, and locally sourced ingredients. There are never any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Never trans-fat, hydrogenated, or high-fructose anything – we don’t even have an extract on site. We control every ingredient to build a delicious seasonal menu that changes often. We lean into local peak season produce, fuse Southern and European traditions, and deliver a culinary experience that feels familiar yet is unexpectedly unique at the same time.

Today, Flaky caters to local businesses, serves locals, and delights visitors every day. We take the business very seriously but we do not take ourselves seriously. Because of that we embrace play at the bakery. From cosplaying (transforming) the bakery as a Fallout Vault during DragonCon to joking with regulars. From offering playful conference badge ribbons to unique event-based specials. Everyday is an opportunity to feed and delight others.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been bumps in the road. We’ve bootstrapped Flaky from day 1 using credit cards, retirement savings, local grants, and short-term loans to finance the start-up costs. But here’s the thing. The road never smooths out. Every time we grow, new (sometimes unexpected) challenges occur.

Our greatest challenge has been – and continues to be – visibility. We hear “Flaky is Atlanta’s best kept secret” all the time. While the sentiment is lovely, we don’t want to be a secret. We want everyone to know there is a place delivering uniquely delicious food and an authentically warm experience.

We’ve been impressed with Flaky not Flaky: Bake Shoppe & Chocolatarium, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Flaky not Flaky: Bake Shoppe and Chocolatrium is where Southern comfort meets European finery. We fuse dishes in a way that is both familiar and unique. We are known for our Original Sconut – a scone/donut hybrid that has pillowy layers (like a scone), is tender and sweet (like a donut), baked, and all-natural. Every part of every sconut is made from scratch every day. We lean into seasonal ingredients and use local providers whenever possible.

Anna and Miguel have been married for almost 30 years and their love for each other shows in the guest experience. You can spend $7 anywhere. But at Flaky, guests are not a transaction. They are family. We know (or get to know) them. We care about what’s happening in their lives. And we truly care about every person’s experience. It is in our DNA.

We’ve tried to create a brand that communicates acceptance, community, belonging, and love for each other and our delicious products. We blend fun and sophistication to create moments that become future conversations between guests and their other friends and family members. A couple great examples include our weekly mystery flavor at the Peachtree rd Farmers Market in Buckhead. Each week, we have a hidden Sconut flavor. It is posted on Instagram and to get one, you have to know to ask for is specifically – because it is not talked about or on display. Another example is our DragonCon skills challenge. For some flavors of Sconut, guests must defeat our Flaky champion to unlock the option to buy the flavor. Games have included Roshambo, dice, and pop culture trivia. In both examples, we lean-in to meeting people where they are and what they value.

We hope every guest approaches Flaky not Flaky with a curious and flexible point of view. Be ready to have a great chat and to be adventurous. Try the Lingonberry White Chocolate Sconut, even if you’ve never heard of a lingonberry. It’s worth it.

The part of our business that changes the most often is our chocolate offering. We work with a family farm in Venezuela who send us the raw chocolate liquor. We then craft it into an assortment of bonbons, bars, nut clusters, and truffles. Flavors change often and are available by the piece or as boxes. A few fan favorites are our Smokey Old Fashioned bonbons, our pistachio cream truffles, and our 80% Mayan bars. If you see us post about any of those flavors – order immediately, they sell out as fast as we can make them.

For those looking for a savory option, we have several handcrafted sandwiches. Choose a bread – Biscuit, Croissant, Sourdough slice, or crepe. Then pick a sandwich, my current favorite is Flaky’s Old World – Smoked Sausage on a scratch-made sourdough buttermilk biscuit. It is the truth. Another favorite is the Mr. Flaky sandwich, which is our version of a Croque Monsieur.

Coffee is pretty important to many people and we compete with one of the biggest coffee franchises in the US. Yep, Dunkin is located steps away from Flaky not Flaky in our food court. While some might simply write coffee off, we took a different approach. We leaned-in to what makes our products special – scratch-made & premium ingredients. No, we do not roast our own coffee. Instead, we partner with LaColombe for beans and cold brew. Then, we hand-craft syrups and prepare every drink to the exact standards of each guest. We can serve the “Flaky” version for those who do not want to make decisions or, guests may define exactly which and how much of any ingredient is used in their drink. Let’s be real, Dunkin still rolls us in the coffee space but we are not giving up. The pressure of competing with a franchise benefiting from millions of dollars in marketing is immense and it pushes us to innovate flavors and options.

The best way to see what’s new is our Instagram page ( /flakynotflaky ).

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Every step of building Flaky not Flaky has been a risk. Our signature product – The Original Sconut – lacks the immediate recognition that something like cake doesn’t worry about. Everyone knows what a cake is. A Sconut though… not so much. Just the name created a risk. We get people saying “scone”, “sco-conut”, and “scro-nut” all the time. Add to that The Original Sconut is a premium offering. We basically created a new product and charged a premium price within a brand carrying no recognition. Additionally, we do not embrace sampling. So, the only way to taste anything Flaky is to buy it.

We then decided to open our first permanent location in an office building food court in Downtown Atlanta. The question is: Do you need to compromise in an environment that typically prioritizes low cost offerings and fast ticket speed over high quality and unique experiences?

We do not take big risks before pouring over volumes of data and conversations with trusted individuals. At the same time, we do not shy away from risk. We map out our approach, ensure it aligns with our values, and if appropriate execute. The trick for us has been to take big risks but take them in small bites to mitigate the potential damage while allowing large cumulative gains. Consider the food court risk. The location is a risk, but we didn’t spend $1mm leasing an “established location”. Instead, we use our current location as a proof of concept.

Our next location will be a MUCH bigger risk. At every step, someone or something worked as an accelerant to our next move. We are ready when the next opportunity presents itself. If a reader is selling their building Downtown Atlanta, let us know – we’d love to chat.

Pricing:

• Sconuts (Any Flavor) $7
• Hand-Crafted Sandwiches $9-13
• Chocolates $4-12
• Coffee Drinks $4-6.5
• Crepes (Sweet or Savory) $10-13

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.FlakyNotFlaky.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/flakynotflaky
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/flakynotflaky

Image Credits
All photo credits are Flaky not Flaky