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DELICIOUS WORD PLAY
BusinessWatch Magazine
November 2008
For individuals suffering from an autoimmune disorder known
as Celiac disease, eating becomes a treacherous path. With
Celiac, the small intestine cannot process gluten, the protein
found in barley, rye, wheat and their byproducts. The body turns
on itself, making the absorption of nutrients impossible and rendering
the person seriously ill.
Holly Beach, owner of the Silly Yak bakery, takes feeding Celiac
customers seriously. Armed with a degree in health education and
the practical experience of owning a bakery in Rochester, Minn.,
Beach finds herself baking gluten-free and traditional products,
much to the delight of customers everywhere.
Beach named her business, Silly Yak, as play on the word Celiac,
demonstrating her notion of keeping a light heart while helping others.
— Angela Mihm Nigro
BusinessWatch: In Minnesota you owned a bike store and
then a bakery. You relocated to Madison and took over
the existing Bread Barn. What drives your interest in owning
and operating your own business?
Holly Beach: My move to Madison was part of my "mid-life crisis!"
I wanted to see how much more impact I could make with my
products in a larger metro area. Your question is interesting to me
as I never think of myself as owning or operating my own business.
I'm driven by what needs to be done. People need good bread and
bread products, whether it is gluten-free or even whole wheat. I'm
just trying to fill that need.
BW: Baking gluten-free is challenging, because ingredients
can be hard to locate and working without the
gluten, the elastic protein that causes bread to expand,
there can be many baking failures. How do
you perfect your recipes?
HB: Lots of trial and error for the most part! I also research
ingredients and how they react chemically to each other.
I'm a keen observer of both the visual and textural components
of my products, which helps tremendously in the development
process.
BW: What are some favorite gluten-free products
and what are you currently working on?
HB: Our breads are really the most popular as they are the
most difficult baked item for people to make at home themselves. Our
customers love the gluten-free Cinnamon Swirl as well as some of our
higher protein breads like Amaranth, Quinoa and Montina. I just started
baking Jalapeño Cheddar Bites — lots of cheddar cheese, cream
cheese, pepper jack cheese and jalapenos rolled up in our gluten-free
cheddar bread. We have a nice selection of casein (dairy)-free breads,
and we're still trying to come up with good eggless bread.
BW: You've carved out a niche, with gluten-free products accounting
for nearly half of your gross sales while providing
a valuable service to your Celiac clients. Yet when you
started baking gluten-free, ingredients were hard to come
by and demand was limited. What's your business advice on
pursuing a small segment?
HB: Keep your passion! Don't let the negatives pull you down. Start by
utilizing as many "free" forms of advertising as you can, such as word
of mouth, networking and gluten-free sampler packs to your target
group (support groups in my case). Later, you can advertise in trade
journals that focus on your target groups.
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