For those of you who have been following the adventures of Sunberry Baking Company, you will likely recall that my wife (Rosemary) and I have been struggling to find a kitchen space to rent, in addition to all the hustle and bustle of putting the pieces together to start our baking-for-sale in earnest. As you can imagine, so much of our business revolves around–and happens in–the kitchen…

We are excited to announce that we have found a kitchen! It is a private kitchen that should work perfectly for our purposes. Perhaps the most rewarding thing about this arrangement for us is that it is all built on a personal relationship with someone who believes in what we do and loves our products. Indeed, so much of the energy, enthusiasm, and momentum behind Sunberry Baking Company over the past couple of months is due to personal connections we have with individuals, organizations, and businesses in the Valley.

This all reflects on my belief that the best businesses function as “communities” in their own ways. It has been quite amazing to watch the interest and excitement build for our vegan, ethically minded, environmentally conscious small business. I have always felt that what we make is a crucial form of outreach…and hopefully we will continue to have more great conversations over vegan treats from Sunberry Baking Company.

In order to do that, however, we have to go through one last step: kitchen inspection. In order for us to sell our baked goods to other businesses for resale, we are legally required to have a kitchen that is inspected and approved by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). We have done a lot of work so far to create our product list, source ingredients and supplies, and price our items, and then to do things like open bank accounts and get insurance coverage. But for some reason, this inspection process seems so much more intimidating…

Fortunately, our area’s VDACS agent is super helpful, friendly, and supportive. She has provided me with lots of advice and answers as I go about filling out the application packet for inspected kitchens. I am still more than a little nervous about the inspection process itself, though: when she will come and watch us prepare some of our products, then take samples for testing.

As you can imagine, I am having nightmares of a hair falling in the bowl, or not sanitizing, washing, rinsing, and drying things in the proper order…or who knows what else…

We care a lot about baking high-quality products, so I hope this inspection process only improves the quality of our goods. And I am thankful that, like with so many other aspects of this business, we have a knowledgeable, amiable expert in this field to call on.

I just hope I do not sneeze while she is there…