Hidden Gems: Meet Barbara Vaigauskaite of Flour & Berry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Vaigauskaite.

Hi Barbara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
During quarantine, I found myself baking more than I usually did. My kids couldn’t deal with COVID, so to help everyone out with the quick transition, I started baking more bread to cheer them up. They became my bread-testers, and in time forgot to worry. I’ve been baking for almost 15 years, and I’ve dedicated my life to making sure people can eat amazing-tasting things without all the unhealthy strings attached. I know more than anyone how unhealthy food and treats can be, so after training and getting my official nutritionist certificate, I decided to start a business to help others; because aren’t we just what we eat?

I always wanted to try selling at farmer’s markets. I believe they are such an amazing addition to exploring your local craftsmen, artists, and growers. People that work with their hands. And it is definitely the easiest way into a market, with the lowest cost of entry. I applied to a town market in Wellington and started off like that. Now that we are in Colorado, I immediately joined several markets locally and our tiny home bakery just exploded.

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?
Definitely not. With baking, every batch could be different. we are talking about effects of nature like moisture in the air, temperature, your scale being off by a few grams, and lack of fridge or freezer space. On market days I would get up at 3 am to start the rolls. And sometimes markets would not even happen due to weather. Now what? You are sitting on all these bakes that have a shelf life of 3 days max. This has happened to me so many times. I turned to Facebook, Instagram, Next door, texting, you name it.

Lack of planning gets you sometimes as well. You think you have calculated your ingredient needs, and then find out you are a dozen eggs short or left off sour cream. There goes a run while something is in the oven.

As you know, we’re big fans of Flour & Berry. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Flour & Berry was born out of my need to bake. Sometimes I would decide to test 4-5 recipes per day. I take a bite, I love it. Now what? My kids and I can only eat so much. And we started with friends, and family, then a website, farmers’ markets, and finally, an ETSY store. I specialize in freshly baked bread, pound cakes, bread puddings, and cookies. There is an occasional cake here and there, but those are available only for specific seasonal events. I am definitely known for my bread puddings: they are all individually wrapped and decadent with flavor combinations you don’t usually find anywhere else.

I love being different. My main focus is to delight your taste buds with simple ingredients everyone has in their kitchen. I will try and test different flavor combinations, and make sure my bakes stand out. If it’s vanilla flavor, it has to be the best vanilla. If it’s chocolate, I will source the best quality Belgian chocolate I can get my hands on.

Just recently I discovered an amazing spice store called Curio in Boston. I compared their nutmeg against the nutmeg I usually buy at a local store. My goodness, the fragrance is so distinguished differently. Their spices are fresh, usually sourced from one place, one farmer, with backstories. I love supporting their efforts as well as adding such amazing quality ingredients to my bakes.

I am very honest and emotional in life. It has always been hard for me to present something I cannot stake my honor 100% behind. I am proud to say, this is how I feel about my brand: honest and true to the core of who I am. When you order from Flour & Berry, you know you will get nothing artificial, baked-to-order goodies. If I am not 100% happy with the batch, I toss it. And that’s been a hard road after we moved to Colorado since altitude affects baking so much.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Be 100% sure of your product. If you have doubts, don’t offer them. Test test test and again test. You have only one time to mess up, and that client is gone. I used to have a tendency to come up with a product conceptually, promote it, and only start making it when orders would come in. Lots of time and money went down the drain. Although, it worked out 99% of the time, don’t be like me.

Another one, offer products you love to make. Every time I agreed to custom order, I either lost money or hated the process, I do not offer custom cakes, I simply don’t enjoy making cakes. I do not change my recipes because a client wants substitutions. They are tested the way they are. As soon as you start making changes to make someone happy, the risk of it flopping is immense. No one knows your product better than you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flourandberry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourandberry_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flourandberry