Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Bauser.
Hi Kendra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Three Peaches started with the goal of establishing a unique type of coffee shop. One that caters to people looking for a healthy twist on their coffee and deserts. Along with normal everyday coffee drinks we offer crafted lattes with ingredients like, Maca, Mushroom extracts, Beet powder, pink salt, raw cacao, butterfly pea and collagen to name a few.
We also offer house made dairy free gelatos that use simple ingredients that are good for you. I went to Sicily to learn the art of gelato making in 2017, and since then have crafted my own dairy free recipies based on traditional methods. Our most popular flavors include Lemon Basil made with fresh lemon and fresh basil, Biscoff made with lots of Biscoff cookies, and our Chocolate made with oat milk and dark chocolate.
We also have house made vegan baked goods and more. Our offerings have been evolving over the years we’ve been in business. We started at the historical Municipal Market and after three years transitioned to our current location on the Beltline. This is our second year and every day is lesson learned. I am a single mom working to build this business for my two daughters (we are the Three Peaches) but I also want to serve the community with events and pop up markets. We are hosting an event with Pink Purpose next month for Breast Cancer and partnering with a few local small pop ups. Our location on the Beltline offers a varied customer base and exposure. We are super excited for our third year and hope to keep growing so we may build our healthier concept and serve more Georgians!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our first location was almost too easy, now dont get me wrong, we had our challenges, including flooding and a continual leak, not much air conditioning in summer parking issues that come with being downtown etc. However I was able to run it pretty easily, even with a second job and two teenagers on my own. Our sales grew nicely every year and while it took a year to break even, at the end we were pulling in a small profit. My employees were all GSU students and worked out great! Rent was very reasonable as it is a small business incubator and I benefitted from lower rates after Covid.
When I started my second location I had visions of grandure that were completely squashed in my first year. Aside from multiple complications building out the space the traffic I envisioned was not the traffic we got. On my Grand Opening I think about 13 people came! All the things you hear about the struggles of building a business I have and am experiencing. So may highs and lows and unexpected surprises I never imagined. My entire self worth seems to center on how busy we are or are not. That has been the hardest thing to overcome. There are solutions to everything and learning how to pivot is huge. The constant juggling of finances during slow times has been the greatest challenge. Since we are still pretty new thats still the biggest challenge.
I wish were viral now because we have the means to handle it without sacrificing quality and customer service which are huge to me. I really love interacting with our customers especially when they walk in and realize that they can have all the gelato and not just a few flavors if they are lactose intolerant.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Three Peaches was founded by Kendra Bauser. During a trip to Sicily in 2008 she happened upon a gelato like she had never had before, it was so fresh and healthy, she couldn’t get the product out of her mind and years later when at a crossroads as a new single mom she decided to embark on this product development and shop concept. With her two daughters in mind she wanted to build something for them and herself. She traveled back to that Sicilian shop and learned their method of gelato making from the owner, Pepe Cuti. Over the next few years, Kendra developed the recipes into all dairy free and low glycemic products that still held the taste integrity of the Sicilian version. In 2023 she opened a shop on the Beltline in Midtown
It didn’t stop with Gelato though because by the time her first location opened she had come up with a new concept, one that encompassed offerings that you can’t find anywhere else. Expanding on healthy offerings she decided to include coffee into the mix. A whole line of superfood lattes, vegan frappes and shakes and vegan baked goods can be found in her beachy themed coffee shop. Her kitchen is now an ever expanding testing zone for delicious treats that are good for you!
What sets us apart from other coffee and gelato shops is that you can indulge here and you wont feel like it afterwards! We aim to provide healthy ways to satisfy that sweet tooth, and caffeine addiction. With low gycelimic sweeteners, sugar free options and superfood add ins we gaining a every growing customer base daily. Even the skeptics are turning into fans.
We are a small business with high standards and values, we hope to grow through consistent quality, great customer service and by providing a beautiful bright space to hang out or get some work done!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If I really knew that it would take more than a great concept. execution and hard work Im not sure Id have taken this on. However I never would have believed it myself, the curse of an entrepreneur mindset! The thing is that if you believe you have a great idea and you create the means to make that happen, you just wanna roll with the challenges until you literally cannot find another way (penny) to make it happen. You just need to keep making a pan of action for whatever you run into.
So even if I had educated myself beforehand, Id still have done things the same way.
Pricing:
- $6.00 single scoop
- $6.50 – $8 Superfood Latte
- $9.80 Vegan Shakes
- $8.50 Vegan Frappe
- $4 Big Slice Vegan Banana Bread
Contact Info:
- Website: https://3peachesgelato.com
- Instagram: @threepeachesgelato
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threepeachesgelato/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/three-peaches-coffee-and-gelato-cafe-atlanta?osq=Gelato
