Meet Brittany Love of Free Birds Vegan Bakery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Love.

Brittany, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
There was never really an “Ah ha!” moment for me when it came to choosing my career path as a vegan baker. It was more of a culmination of events that took place. I didn’t know how to cook or bake and my lifestyle was far from plant-based anything.

2 1/2 years ago when I started Free Birds, all I knew was that I was completely DONE with allowing someone else to determine my ceiling. It made no logical sense to me why I would sign up to work for another company, share all of my ideas with them, improve their brand, and be completely unappreciated for it. Not to mention, broke af. More than anything though, I realized that I had something special that literally none of the companies I worked for had, and that was care. I cared more than anyone about food and I still believe that I do. Unlike a lot of chefs in this industry, I don’t create food just because I happen to be good at it or because I’m looking for money and/or fame. In fact, I love being thought of as a “hidden gem”. It adds a level of mysteriousness to my profile that I’m totally into.

I create because I love people, I love to share, and I love food…so much!

How it looks, tastes, smells, feels, EVERYTHING! I’m completely obsessed with it! The fact that what I make is vegan, gluten free, and soy free is even more exciting! Not only is it the most challenging food I’ve ever made but it’s also the most rewarding for my customers. I’m literally changing people’s lives. All this time I thought I would need to do something really complicated in order to connect with people and “make the world a better place”. Who knew that all I had to do was make a freaking vegan cookie? Amazing! 🙂

After 10 years of working in the food and beverage industry, I started noticing signs from God that eventually pushed me into the world of veganism. For example, when I was working in grocery store bakeries, customers would always come up to me and ask “Do you guys have any vegan or gluten free options?” I remember having to tell them no and the look of disappointment on their face. It would make me feel really bad because I wanted to help them. I wanted to say yes and for them to be happy. I would think to myself “Why is it that no one finds vegans valuable enough to make something they can eat too? That’s not nice.”

Later when I worked in a privately-owned bakery, I remember feeling this nudge in the pit of my stomach as if someone was pushing me. I felt like I didn’t belong there and I had anxiety on the daily. I believed that time was of the essence so when I felt something, even if I couldn’t really explain it to others, I knew I had to just trust and move on it. I knew without a doubt that it was time for me to focus 100% on creating my own business and I needed it do it right then. So I quit my job and went for it.

Then, I had a mentor who was vegan and she always wanted to support me. She would comment on how good my food looked, but end the conversation disappointed that she couldn’t have any. I felt bad yet again. So one day I said “Hmmm let me just try to make some vegan chocolate chip cookies, and cake for her. I want to see if I can do it.” I let her try my creations and she gave me some really awesome feedback! From there I was inspired, and I started trying every vegan recipe I could find. I eventually learned how to veganize my original recipes and realized I had struck gold!

That same mentor and I would talk often, and one night I complained to her about how difficult it was to convince my existing customers that my products were still great even though the ingredients had changed. I was so stressed. I had just quit my job with no plan, barely any money saved, and bills piling up by the minute. I remember thinking that this was the end of the road and that maybe I was just a one hit wonder. That maybe people were only supporting me to be nice. My mentor told me that I was simply targeting the wrong people. That same night, she added me to a private Facebook group called Vegan Atlanta, and told me to post pictures of my work in the group.

For a few days I observed the posts from others until I could muster up the confidence to post my own, and when I did…chile people went crazy! They would say “Who are you and where did you come from all of a sudden?!” My reply was “I’m Brittany Love and I’ve come to ruin all of your diets! *Evil Baker Laugh*”

With every picture I posted, I gained another customer. I received rave reviews and things started to grow rather quickly. I began making custom cakes after watching several YouTube tutorials, and I improved on my skills tremendously within a short period of time. I had never made ANY of the cakes people requested, but I never said no to an order. I did whatever it took to make it happen. I was very vulnerable with my audience as well. Every cake or food picture I posted was after making it for the first time. I thought that was a great way to trick myself into mastering my craft quickly because I wanted to post good looking food.

A year and a half ago I went vegan myself, and I have been an advocate for plant-based living ever since. I went to culinary school thinking I’d have my own restaurant and bar with a few friends making hot wings, bacon cheeseburgers, and spinach dip, but God had other plans for me. I taught myself everything I know about baking and I learned from my mistakes along the way. Deciding to remove myself from the many workplaces that mistreated me, ignored my value, and paid me less than I was worth, was the best decision ever!

I create my own ceilings now. I determine how far I can go, and where. No other human can design my destiny but ME.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has definitely been a bumpy road, but I have grown so much professionally and personally. I always encourage others to #shareyourstruggle so here are 5 of mine:

1. I’m a mother to a seven year old boy who could care less that I have a thriving bakery. He just wants to play with me. Finding time to be present for my son while running my business is the most challenging task by far.

2. Two words. TIME MANAGEMENT. I never knew how poor I was at this until Free Birds started poppin!

3. Two more words. MONEY MANAGEMENT. It can be difficult to build wealth when you’ve never had any and are completely financially illiterate. I’m pretty intelligent but you can’t tell me my numbers weren’t written in Chinese before.

4. Dealing with complaints or disappointments from customers. Sometimes I care too much about pleasing others and I let the harsh things people say get under my skin. Most people think they’re giving you constructive criticism (which proposes a solution), but most are just complaining. Reminding myself to always be solution oriented even in the face of a disgruntled customer has worked well for me.

5. Quality Control. I could sit here and say that everything I make is perfect, but that would be a lie. Sometimes I fail-mainly when I am distracted. If I am supposed to be making cookies, and while in the kitchen I am checking emails, responding to website questions, posting videos to social media, etc, then chances are my product will not be its best. So, I have to show more respect for my craft and workplace. The kitchen is my sanctuary. Reminding myself of my company mission everyday keeps me motivated and ensures a consistent and wildly delicious product!

BONUS: Running a business all by my lonesome. People don’t fully understand the level of extreme difficulty this is which is why #4 really gets to me. The workload is very overwhelming, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I know in due time I will have employees to help out and take my business to the next level.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Free Birds Vegan Bakery – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My company is an online bakery that specializes in vegan, gluten free, and soy free desserts. Our mission is to educate, heal, and inspire people around the world to live a plant-based lifestyle.

I am most proud of the connection I have with my audience. When they see me, they see a real person who cares about them. A free bird in every sense of the word. They genuinely love me first, and then my products. That is very special to me as I never want to come off as a salesperson. I am simply a reflection of them and them of me.

Our level of customer service and care is what sets us apart from others. We anticipate our guest’s needs and treat them like family. We are extremely hospitable, and go out of our way to make their event one to remember!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan to add a few more products and services to my business over time and to optimize our online store experience for customers. I also plan on having a storefront bakery in the future. I have some super creative ideas for the look and vibe of the bakery, but you’ll just have to wait and see what’s up my sleeve for that! 🙂

Pricing:

• Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free Cookies – $4 each
• Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free Cupcakes (12) -$48/box
• Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free Pies (8″) – $20+

Contact Info:

• Address: 500 Bishop Street NW, Unit F4, Atlanta, GA 30138
• Website: www.freebirdsveganbakery.com
• Phone: 404-229-8782
• Email: freebirdsveganbakery@gmail.com
• Instagram: @freebirdsveganbakery
• Facebook: Free Birds Vegan Bakery
• Twitter: @freebirdsbakery
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/WhatVegansEat-Vol-1-Hashtag-ebook/dp/B07796QWX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510642460&sr=8-1&keywords=%23whatveganseat&dpID=51TbdPYSdcL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Image Credit:
Tarilyn Johnson
George Tigre

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.