Spotlighting a Rockland County mompreneur in honor of Mother’s Day: Baketivity

The saying goes that food is memory.

Miriam Schwartz, a resident of Congers and mother of six, will never forget her childhood memories of going to her grandmother’s house where she showed her tips and tricks on baking.

“My mother was also very forthcoming, I must say. She really allowed me to experiment in our kitchen,” she said.

With the encouragement and inspiration of powerful women as well as her husband,  Schwartz is now co-founder of Baketivity, a small business that sells baking kits filled with step-by-step recipes, ingredients and fun themed activities.

“Baketivity is something that started simply out of passion and I did that together with my husband Eli. He’s really manning the business, but the view behind it came from both of us together at home,” she said. “I thought to myself it would be so nice if other people could do it and then my husband came up with the idea of us selling kits that could work for other families.”

Baketivity launched about six years ago as a very small business in their basement and as they grew more popular, they eventually moved their headquarters in 2020.

When they started selling through Amazon, Baketivity expanded. “From the beginning, Amazon was our best revenue generator and we are continuously building on that,” she said.

Last year, Amazon launched the small business badge, which makes it easy for customers to identify products from small business owners and artisans.

Nearly 60% of the products in Amazon’s store are sold by independent selling partners and in 2022, they celebrated a record breaking holiday season where customers purchased nearly half a billion items from small businesses, like Baketivity.

“We are seeing a spike in sales every day, especially with the new Buy with Prime option,” Schwartz said. “That really got us to really spread our wings and be able to reach more people.”

Baketivity customers can find single kits or choose subscription plans that work best for them.

When customers subscribe this month to Baketivity, they get a free DIY tea set where kids can paint it.

May’s kit shows families how to bake a royal tea cake, which is perfect with King Charles’s recent coronation.

They also have a cooking club, virtual after-school program, summer camp and corporate gifts, all of which encourage a sense of community.

“It creates a certain homey sweet atmosphere and the environment does calm down and make them connect with each other. It also bolsters their confidence when they’re able to do something they know will work out for them,” Schwartz said.

To learn more about Baketivity, be sure to check out their website.