Meet Dana Brungardt | Co-Owner & Head of Operations

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dana Brungardt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2010 I was a new teacher trying to get my foot in the door when budget cuts hit our district. I have always loved to bake and cupcakes were all the rage, so with the help and encouragement from my mom, we started “B” Sweet Cupcakes. We started experimenting at home and took samples to a local farmer’s market and received very positive feedback, so we started looking for a place to bake and get licensed with the health department, with a focus on catering. One of my goals in getting the business up and running was to be able to support myself and give other local people an opportunity for a job. We also wanted to be able to give back to our community. Our retail location fell in our lap while we were looking for kitchen space. The space was being partially used by a non-profit serving adults with special needs but had previously been a cafe and was set up for both a commercial kitchen and small retail space. As we got open and worked to slowly build a fan base, I was able to have some of the special needs adults help me with some baking. When their program closed it gave us the idea of spreading our community engagement a little further. After a few years and getting a little more established, we worked with the school district to do internships with young adults with special needs, giving them the opportunity to learn life skills in a job setting. I ended up hiring a couple of the interns we worked with and have one of them still employed today. This has given me the opportunity to bring my love for teaching into my business as I help these young adults learn skills. Working with adults with special needs is one way we have given back to our community, we also regularly donate gift certificates and products to local organizations raising money for their non-profits, another reason we started this business.

What should our readers know about your business?
When I started this business, I wanted to be able to support myself and help others in our community. I have been able to do that by hiring local people, giving people a chance that needed a little boost and working with young adults with special needs. I am very proud of what we have accomplished over the past 13 years! I wanted to create a product that was made from scratch and tasted great, but most importantly I wanted to put smiles on peoples faces! We have grown and adapted since first opening, we started out specializing in just cupcakes and now offer and create treats of all kinds. We have had the opportunity to create beautiful displays for over 500 weddings. We have seen families grow, from a wedding order to a baby shower order, to first birthdays and more birthdays! It is an honor and privilege to be chosen to be a part of so many happy and wonderful memories and special occasions in the lives of the families we have worked with! Owning a small business is tough! The long hours, the late nights, the occasional negative feedback, but it is all worth it when we see a family we have been seeing for many years come in for another birthday order or just a midweek pick me up and you get to talk with the 5 year old who is super excited for his cupcakes that he’s been enjoying for 5 years. Our cupcakes are unique to us, they are recipes my mom and I have created or that we have adapted from my great-grandma and grandpa. Our frosting is unique to us. We wanted to create a product that wasn’t like anything else, it was ours. While we have added other sweet treats to our offerings, the cupcakes will always be our specialty.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since our business is located in Downtown Loveland, I tend to support other local businesses nearby. My favorite places are Henry’s Pub for great food and Sky Bear Brewery for a local craft beer.  

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be where I am today if it were not for the love and support of my mom, Sue! She not only helped me get the business going, but has offered her time and energy over the last 13 years to help the business be successful. Now that she has retired from her day job, she is at the bakery more and runs our mini food truck, in an effort to help our business grow. I am thankful for her advice and support as we have navigated the ups and downs of owning a small business. My grandparents were also integral in getting up and running, my grandpa helped direct me in repairs of the space, my grandma helped with decorating and they both helped to run and get supplies when I would run out of ingredients when we first opened and I had no idea how to plan for large orders. It helped that they lived less than a block away from the bakery! They both passed in December of 2015 but there are pieces of them throughout the bakery still.

Website: www.bsweetcupcakes.com

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/b.sweet.cupcakes

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bsweetcupcakes

Image Credits
Jesse Goll AMA Divine Photography