They all went to the same high school in southwest IL. Now they own a specialty bakery
Four Belleville natives — all Althoff Catholic High School grads — have opened an online bakery that caters to health-conscious people.
Upside Down Bakery, headquartered in St. Louis, offers a line of microwavable, ketogenic diet-friendly snack cups. It began taking orders via their website on Thursday, Dec. 17.
Co-founder Nick Wehrle said the idea was to provide people following a ketogenic diet and other health-conscious individuals an easy way to satisfy a sweet tooth without splurging on sugar or having to make an entire batch of something.
Wehrle, 31, his sister Meghan Tomlinson, 29, Greg Blome, 31, and his brother Ryan Blome, 29, started the business and run it together. All of them live healthy lifestyles and have adopted a keto-friendly diet, which is low carbohydrate and high fat.
Their website describes them as a “small team of health conscious millennials that set out to change how people enjoy their sweet treats.” The foursome worked together to develop their products.
“We wanted a product like this,” said Wehrle, adding that there are other keto-friendly snacks on the market, but they taste “healthy.” Wehrle and the others wanted something that tasted good and still had all of the health benefits suited to their lifestyles.
Wehrle said the group worked for eight months, developing nearly 200 different versions of their recipes, which they tested themselves. The results are three flavors of snack cups: Blueberry Muffin, Buttermilk Pancake and Double Fudge Brownie.
The labels on each flavor show that each one is packed with protein, low in carbs and gluten-free. Wehrle said new recipes are in the works, including birthday cake and banana nut muffin.
Online sales are just the beginning
Upside Down Bakery is starting out as an e-commerce. The business’s website has accepted pre-orders since December for January delivery. Customers are also able to buy the snack cups at amazon.com.
E-commerce is a “great format” when the products are “100% shelfable,” says Wehrle. He said the start-up costs are less than having to pay for a physical space or expenses paid to a retail partner, but e-commerce still has its challenges.
“It’s more difficult getting noticed,” said Wehrle. “Getting enough attention is hard online.”
Products sold in retail stores are already in front of potential customers. Online, one needs to seek out customers. To make that easier for the consumer, the Upside Down Bakery team makes sure they have a strong presentation through their social media and online advertising.
While Wehrle and Greg Blome share responsibility of the day-to-day operations, Tomlinson is in charge of all social media. Ryan Blome handles the marketing, uses Instagram and works with influencers who get sent samples of the products, which are well-received so far.
Upside Down Bakery may not remain an e-commerce-only business. Wehrle says they are talking to some area grocery store chains, hoping to add retail in the future. He says wholesalers also are interested.
Not the young entrepreneurs’ first endeavor
Upside Down Bakery is not the group’s first business venture. Wehrle and Blome also founded Omega Health Products, LLC, which makes a keto-friendly coffee creamer: PowerCreamer.
After spending a year on research and development, PowerCreamer opened up for sales in December 2015. The coffee creamers come in a variety of flavors and are sold with other products online via the website, powercreamer.com. Most of their sales are done through Amazon.
The PowerCreamer business is “going really well,” Wehrle said. The company had been in the middle of trying to launch a few new products before stepping back to focus more on Upside Down Bakery.
Wehrle said the group’s experience with PowerCreamer and Omega Health Products has taught them more about the keto lifestyle and what people in that market are looking for, leading them to Upside Down Bakery.
About Upside Down Bakery
Upside Down Bakery’s products are available online at https://upsidedownbakery.com/. The three available flavors come in packs of six and can be a one-time purchase or as a subscription. An 18-pack starter bundle containing all three flavors is also available. The website is currently offering a nine-cup special offer.
For more information about Upside Down Bakery, visit the website, Facebook page or Instagram.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
