Rockin’ Baker is an artisanal bakery, producing a variety of handcrafted breads for leading Northwest Arkansas restaurants and the public.
While the Fayetteville bakery uses traditional techniques to make bread, it mixes entrepreneurship with social enterprise in a creative and novel way.
‘Our Bread Isn’t All That Rises’
Daymara Baker, CEO and founder, considers herself a “social womanpreneur.”
Her vision built a European-style bakery that trains and employs neurodiverse individuals, helping them transition into permanent employment.
The bakery is organized as a benefits corporation, a unique type of business whose purpose is creating a general public benefit.
“Rockin’ Baker Inc. is a B-Corp running the wholesale and retail sales to support the academy. Rockin’ Baker Academy is a 501(c)(3) [non-profit], where our training program resides,” said Baker.
Baker recently announced a 70% neurodiverse workforce. Known as cadets, trainees attending Rockin’ Baker Academy are selected based on referrals.
4-Plus Years of Guidance
Since before she started the bakery four years ago, Baker has received guidance and consultation from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas.
After taking part in an ASBTDC webinar on social entrepreneurship in February 2016, she connected with the Fayetteville center.
“The professional and experienced business consultants enabled us to strategically manage and guide prioritization of actions for managed and sustainable growth,” said Baker.
The Rockin’ Baker was close to doubling its sales in 2019. Increases were achieved by being laser-focused on costs, according to Baker.
Then the coronavirus pandemic changed her focus in 2020.
Pandemic Pivot
“We have been forced to reinvent our business model and re-image our clientele. We have pivoted our baking output from wholesale to donation, which kept our bakery in production and our employees working,” said Baker of the COVID-19 crisis.
The bakery started the “Rise Up Together” campaign during the pandemic. Through its website, the Rockin’ Baker is accepting monetary contributions to bake and donate bread.
To date, Rockin’ Baker has donated over 100,000 servings of fresh bread to local schools, non-profit human service agencies, and community-based relief organizations.
On the retail side, customers can order breads online for local pickup, and the bakery’s storefront is open three days a week.
As she seeks to do good and to do a good business, the CEO appreciates the ways ASBTDC is supporting her during the pandemic.
“ASBTDC has not only connected us with other resources available in our area but offers webinars on various topics such as EIDL and PPP loans, marketing/branding, and so much more,” said Baker.
An avid participant in the center’s weekly online forum for restaurants and food businesses, Baker has benefited from the support that local restaurateurs provide each other “to overcome the barriers that COVID-19 has created for our industry.”
Visit Rockin’ Baker online at rockinbaker.org to learn more about its wholesale and retail products, job training opportunities, and “Rise Up Together” campaign.
