Caking the world a better place: Alysia Bryant’s frosting-covered mission

On Tuesday, December 12,  Alysia Bryant’s bakery The Carefree Cakery, in the Mill District in North Amherst was bustling and the smells of freshly baked cakes and classic buttercream wafted through the air. Her bakery, which opened August 1, 2023,  fills a need in the area left behind when The Henion Bakery, a staple in downtown Amherst, closed after decades. 

The Carefree Cakery sells cupcakes and cakes, which can be custom-ordered to satisfy gluten-free, vegan, and other dietary restrictions. The glass display showcases the variety of cupcakes available on the spot, and two tables in the corner held regular customers enjoying their gourmet cupcakes.  

Bryant is a 23-year-old self-described “math nerd” turned baker.

But she wasn’t always in love with cooking. “In high school, I couldn’t find a job, so I started making brownies,” Bryant said. While the brownies started out plain, they changed when Bryant’s business instincts kicked in. She adopted her product to her consumer base when they got bored of classic chocolate. She started adding swirls and flavors to the mix. 

This was when Bryant said she “fell in love with the process of messing around with recipes.” Years later, Bryant used this love of trial and error to develop recipes for her cakery. 

Bryant says she learned the “paper knowledge” on how to own a business from her time at Framingham State University, where she earned her degree in business with a concentration in entrepreneurship. Bryant managed a Sherwin-Williams paint location after college, which gave her more hands-on experience running a business. 

Bryant knew she wanted to open a bakery during college, so she started preparing a detailed business plan. In this plan, Bryant predicted she could open the Carefree Cakery immediately after leaving her job at Sherwin Williams; however, this was a miscalculation and she had to wait another year before it ultimately could happen. During this time, Bryant worked jobs at other local businesses as a cake decorator. Then, Bryant used the business plan she constructed to apply for a loan from Common Capital, a nonprofit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Although Bryant had experience running a business, and the education necessary to succeed, she still faced challenges transitioning from home to commercial baking. Bryant struggled to predict the demand for her products, so her estimates were very conservative initially. While now it is easy to say that selling out immediately is a good thing. 

“When we first opened, I was working 16-hour days six days a week…The first couple of weeks of operation were a nightmare. We weren’t ready for how many people would be interested in having a bakery here,” Bryant said.  Bryant said this is because it is extremely difficult to accurately predict the amount of demand for a new product in a fairly new market, as the Mill District was only constructed in 2019. 

On a normal day for Bryant, work starts between six and seven a.m. On Mondays specifically, she bakes all the cakes for the week, to then subsequently place them in the freezer. “Cake is unique in that it freezes extraordinarily well. It ends up more moist after being frozen,” Bryant said. This allows Bryant to stay on top of the cake orders that come in throughout the week. 

Bryant loves the Mill District for the friendly customers and welcoming atmosphere, but also because she could design the floorplan for her business as a part of the lease-signing process. This was what allowed her to create an entire gluten-free prep room, separate from the main kitchen. This is just one of the steps Bryant made to make The Carefree Cakery as inclusive as possible.

”Generally speaking, we’re incredibly mindful of allergens here,” Bryant said. This allows any flavor of cake to be made vegan or gluten-free on request. Bryant also keeps gluten-free and vegan cupcakes stocked in her storefront so that anyone can pop in and have a cupcake. 

Bryant originally saw owning a cakery as a “selfish pursuit,” as she thought she was doing something that she enjoyed instead of doing something that would have an impact on people. However, she quickly found purpose in her passion and devoted her business to being equitable and fair. Bryant accomplishes this by getting her vanilla, chocolate, and coffee products from fair trade sources, as well as paying her employees a livable wage. 

Bryant’s ultimate goal is to make the world a better place, on a smaller scale, as well as to “prove that exploitation is not the only means of success.”

Not only that, but she makes people happy with her delicious baked goods and also helps them celebrate important milestones in their lives.