Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Vu.
Hi Annie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started Annie’s Petite Treats around 2012 while I was still working at Rackspace. What started out as a few cake pop orders for friends and colleagues turned into orders from strangers across the city. A mom from Trinity University discovered me and heard I was a TU alumni. She asked if she could share my information with other parents in an email list she started to connect families of incoming freshmen.
The next thing I knew, I was getting tons of orders from parents wanting to send their student’s care packages. This really became an essential part of my business. I was working full-time by day and staying up all night baking. There were days I was up until 4 o’clock in the morning finishing up orders and taking power naps before going to work. I had an opportunity to join a start-up non-profit as a director in community engagement in the midst of all of this growth and left Rackspace. I was too scared to put all my eggs in one basket and give APT my all at that time.
But after a year in that role, I decided I had to choose a path because juggling two full-time jobs wasn’t sustainable any longer. In 2014, I left my career and put all my time, energy, and love into Annie’s Petite Treats. We found a wonderful home in north-central San Antonio that had the perfect guest house to covert into my studio. This enabled me to still work from home, and eventually balance Annie’s Petite Treats and motherhood.
My children are 5 years old and 10 months old, so I’m back to late nights and little sleep. But I’m grateful to be in control of my time and continue to do what I love while giving my focus to my greatest little loves.
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?
2020 brought on the biggest challenges since starting Annie’s Petite Treats, and it wasn’t something I could have been prepared for. My business relied on parties, gatherings, celebrations, and holidays. Covid put an end to that. Birthday parties started getting canceled, then weddings, then the rescheduled weddings got canceled. My students at Trinity went home and didn’t come back. Campus closed to visitors and deliveries. It was tough for any of us in the event and food business. But I pivoted early on and was able to have a record year despite quarantining… and my daughter staying home from school, and being pregnant!
I shifted from my baked goods to DIY kits that families could do together at home during The Great Pause. Kids were home from school, parents were home from work, and no one really knew what was going on and what to do during quarantine. My daughter loves baking with me so I thought it would be fun to put together a kit with all the ingredients to bake some cookies and a recipe card. We would deliver all the kits or they’d do a contactless porch pick up at my studio. My daughter and I would get on Instagram Live every Thursday at 3 and do a live baking session together followed by storytime with our favorite books from our home library.
It was a hit! We expanded to cupcake and sheet cake decorating, cookie bars, granola bars, and other kid-friendly desserts. Miss Anastasia from the Twig and local librarians joined us a few times for storytime while our cookies baked. Then we would video in any of the kids who wanted to show their creativity with the rest of the group. It was so much fun! I really miss those days. We did that every week from the end of March until August when kids went back to school. Not only did it save my business, but it was also some special 1×1 time with my daughter that I will always cherish.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a small batch baker in San Antonio, operating under the cottage food law. I started off making cake pops, but have since expanded to all things mini-desserts and also cakes. I love setting up dessert bars for events and weddings ranging from cake pops to mini pies, cupcakes, rice crispy treats, homemade marshmallows dipped Oreos, and other handheld treats. When I started APT, I turned down cake orders and told myself I wouldn’t venture into “the big stuff.” But eventually, I caved and hated making cakes.
Now, it’s become something I love doing, especially naked floral cakes. I love designing flowers on pretty little cakes – it’s the perfect edible arrangement to brighten anyone’s day. I’ve started making number and letter tarts a couple of years ago and have loved making those as well! I think cakes/cupcakes/tarts with flowers are just the perfect wow factor for any celebration and if I could only make one thing, it would be those.
I think what makes Annie’s Petite Treats special and sets us apart is the small, personal business aspect of it. My customers have become friends over the years. They’ve shared their highs and their lows with me. I’ve started with bridal showers that led to weddings which led to baby showers and then first birthdays. I’ve watched some of these kids grow from celebrating their mama’s at the shower to their birthdays every year, and it makes my heart happy knowing they ask for me when their next birthday rolls around.
I think my longest-standing kid was from his second birthday to his recent 13th birthday! It’s an honor to be a part of their milestones in this sweet way. This isn’t a box store where you don’t get to see the person behind the pastry bags. My customers have watched my kids grow and I’ve watched theirs.
The other part of my business that gives me a nice little niche is my relationship with Trinity families. As an alumnus, I love being able to support my alma mater. I absolutely remember that homesick feeling and how much it meant to get a little comfort food from home or a little something special in the mail from my parents. So sending care packages to students and stepping on campus regularly has been one of my favorite parts of APT.
I’ve watched several generations of students start their freshman year and graduate. I’ve even done a few of their weddings years later! Parents have found me through the alumni network, parent groups on Facebook, and word of mouth.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Support is as simple as a follow, like, and share on social media. I’m @anniespetitetreats on Instagram! Sharing my work helps me build my brand and reach new customers, so it’s greatly appreciated. But I love it, even more, when you ask me to help you with your big celebrations.
If you are a local small business, I host giveaways every couple of months with other makers. It’s a great way to introduce my customers to other San Antonio businesses that I love and grow all of our followers. If you’re a small business that would like to participate, DM me on Instagram!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.anniespetitetreats.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniespetitetreats/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/anniespetitetreats
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PetiteTreatsTX
Image Credits
Paty Araujo Photography
