Meet Wenter Shyu and Sam Butarbutar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wenter Shyu and Sam Butarbutar.

Third Culture Bakery (TCB) was founded in 2017 by Culinary Director Sam Butarbutar and Brand Director Wenter Shyu. Sam and Wenter are “third culture kids”–children raised in a culture other than their parents–and celebrate their cross-cultural hybrid identities through their pastries.

Third Culture Bakery first developed the Original Mochi Muffin®, inspired by the traditions of Hawaiian mochi and flavors found in Sam’s personal childhood in Indonesia. The menu has now expanded to include mochi donuts, waffles, custard cakes and an array of colorful matcha beverages.

“We started the bakery with just $3000 total and us two running the show, doing everything from prep to baking, cleaning, and delivering. We quickly hired our first baker six months later and are now a team of over 20+ full-timers. Our vision is to have the bakery be a place of acceptance and inclusivity for everyone – and for our Mochi Muffins® to be a symbol of kindness and our hearts”

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not – we’ve had to learn everything very, very quickly because we grew so quickly – and with that, came many learning mistakes.

From production mistakes to hiring mistakes, there were so many – but all were amazing learning opportunities that shaped us to how we lead now.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Sam’s role is everything culinary and food – so all things production, quality control, and development – the fun stuff. And Wenter’s role has been everything else – mostly focusing on marketing and operations.

“I always tell people, Sam makes beautiful food and it’s my job to tell the world about it.” -Wenter

Our bakery specializes in Mochi Muffins®, Mochi Donuts, and beverages inspired by our upbringing as Third Culture Kids – kids who grew up in a different culture than that of our parents.

The proudest of our company before was that we were putting out a product that was unlike anything else on the market, and creating the need for Mochi Muffins® and baking with rice flour. Now, at our current stage and as we expand – the proudest thing about our bakery is that we are building a workplace that offers so much growth, development, and mobility for our team. We put our money where our mouth is and promote from within like our first ever salary kitchen manager Diana, who came to us as a part-time 20 hour a week dishwasher – and eight months later became our kitchen manager – and we can’t wait for where she goes next!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
We fell in love with Denver the first time we were there on vacation. Our CFO Rachel Taber, grew up in Littleton and took us around Denver – one thing led to another and we signed a lease less than a month later.

We are excited to see how Denver responds to the Mochi Muffins® and our take on pastries and foods!

Contact Info:

• Email: sales@thirdculturebakery.com
• Instagram: thirdculturebakery

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