Founder Spotlight: Valerie Vedral (The Vulgar Vegan)
Meet Valerie Vedral
Company:
The Vulgar Vegan
The Vulgar Vegan is a gourmet vegan bakery that primarily specializes in cupcakes that are made with high-quality, premium ingredients and served with a side of sass. We love to create truly unique vegan cupcakes that you won't find in any grocery store - from the vegan Hawaiian french toast-topped Breakfast at Tiffany's that is dusted with edible diamond glitter dust to the blueberry lavender delight Damn Right I Got The Blues. We also offer a line of specialty-grade coffee.
Location:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
When did you launch the business?
October 2021
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Startup Stage?
Bootstrapped
What led you to where you are today?
The Vulgar Vegan was started because of my love for vegan food and baking. Although vegan and plant-based foods have become more mainstream, it can still be difficult to find a sweet vegan indulgence made with attention to detail and quality ingredients. We provide unique and delicious cupcakes and coffee for those looking for a sweet indulgence.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish we had started working with a business mentor out of the gate. We have learned and grown through trial and error, but having a mentor from day one would have helped us prepare for some of the growing pains all small businesses face when starting out.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
The Vulgar Vegan is known for allowing customers to create a truly unique box of cupcakes, but as we have grown, we realized we needed to cap the number of flavors customers could order in a box. In the past, we have fulfilled 12-count box orders that contained 12 different flavors. At The Vulgar Vegan, we bake in small batches. Once we expanded our menu and started to grow beyond small events, we realized we needed to put some limits in place to reduce waste and keep operations sustainable.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I'm always happy to share the knowledge that I have gained with others and love to promote other vegan businesses.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
I love to network and learn from other vegan businesses. Eager to connect with and grow alongside the community.
Fun fact about you:
I am a black belt in Taekwondo and was a college radio DJ way back in the day.
Anything else you would like to share?
The Vulgar Vegan is unlike other bakeries and grocery store bakery departments in that we create an experience that starts the second customers look at our menu. We offer customers the opportunity to create a truly unique and custom order - mixing up flavors in their cupcake box.
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