Nut-Free Bakery Wins Sam Adams' Business Pitch Competition

BOSTON — Teresa Maynard's husband thought his wife was just having a mid-life crisis when she told him she wanted to quit her job in a corporate office to open her own bakery.

Little did he know that his wife would go on to run her own small business, have it survive a global pandemic, and win Samuel Adams' Brewing the American Dream competition.

It all started with pregnancy cravings.

Pregnant with her third child, Maynard couldn't stop thinking about cupcakes, but having a nut allergy kept her from easily accessing them when the cravings called. "I needed a snack, so I would bring homemade cupcakes to the office and realized that I could do something with that for other people - It breaks my heart to know some children have to skip out on a sweet because of a nut allergy."

With that, Maynard jumped ship and told her husband she was quitting her job to open her own nut-free bakery. "It was January 2016, and I had no clue on what I was doing, I just wanted to love what I do," Maynard told Patch.

By June she found CommonWealth Kitchen, a non-profit commercial-grade kitchen designed to help small businesses ramp up production in the privacy of their own space, but claims she still had no idea how to start a bakery.

So Maynard took a "Food and Business 101" 12-week course and even won their pitch competition before applying to be part of the CommonWealth Kitch in November 2016.

Eventually, Sweet Teez Bakery was born and Maynard was in the kitchen perfecting the sweets and treats for those with or without nut allergies.

"Business-wise I'm always thankful that things didn't take off right away - I learned more and more with every failure and learned how to do it better the next time," Maynard told Patch.

Things were really starting to kick off for Sweet Teez over the next few years, especially as Maynard turned to corporate catering events. But in 2020, the world shut down when COVID-19 hit, and Maynard had to close for five months.

"We've had hard times in the past, so I said let's start over and see what we can change," Maynard said, adding that the pandemic was part of her grit that helped her press through.

That's when she started shipping on a small scale and using e-commerce, something she said she never would have thought of before -but she claims she still needed a little help.

Brewing the American Dream of Nut-Free Cupcakes

That's when she found the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream competition - a contest to help small business owners practice and perfect the art of the sales pitch. Business owners who apply and have been selected to participate made their best two-minute business pitch to a panel of judges who help decide who's pitch will win the $10,000 prize along with coaching classes.

The goal of the program is to help strengthen small businesses, create local jobs, and build vibrant communities.

Founder of Sam Adams Jim Koch first launched the program in 2oo8 because he says he was unable to get a traditional loan when he wanted to start brewing beer and had to start a micro-brewery out of his home in Cambridge - which soon turned out to be the national favorite Sam Adams.

In addition to the wide success of the beer company, 14 years have gone by since the start of the program, and over 9,000 businesses have been created or retained with help from Sam Adams. The program has loaned $79 million to small businesses while coaching and mentoring over 13,000 people.

"I feel like these last two years have been especially hard on entrepreneurs, where their challenges aren't just staying open, but they're facing supply chain issues and cost of goods that don't allow them discounts to buy in bulk because they're starting so small," said Jennifer Glanville, Brewer and Director of Brewery Programs for the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery. "They've already had to pivot so many times, but they're passionate and excited and they've already been through the worst of it. To me, that's the American spirit - that's what makes these businesses succeed."

Glanville says the program is always evolving so they can continue to provide local support.

Maynard entered the competition with the goal of revamping her website to fix corporate gifting and shipping. Since she mostly ships locally, she wants to expand her business by meeting with potential vendors on how to continue to build her brand up. She also plans to use the money to create branded packaging and give back to her community.

"To me, that's the most important part," Maynard said adding that she continuously gives back to the Boys and Girls Clubs around the Boston area. "Growing up, I wanted to see people who look like me doing what I'm currently doing."

All resources through Sam Adam's Brewing the American Dream program are free and designed to be a way to give back to the Boston community.

"You can't wait for someone else to come around and do it - sometimes you're that person," Maynard said laughing.

If you're starting a business or interested click here for more info on the program.

If you're interested in some of Maynard's delicious nut-free desserts, click here.