索尔兹伯里,N.C. – One of the first things to know about the proprietor of 梅森’s Mixer is that his name is not 梅森. 我是胡安·艾比. The second is that his home-based bakery business produces the freshest, 最美味的, most original cookies you’ll find anywhere.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he was working from home, Irby spent so much of his spare time with quarantine baking that he decided to start his own business. 三年后, he’s migrated from pound cakes, cheesecakes and brownies to specialty cookies, having discovered that his grandmother’s chocolate chip recipe was a universal hit with customers. Although he has branched out into creative flavors that are often inspired by family, 朋友和客户, his signature item is still his tasty reproduction of Granny’s specialty.
“I enjoy this because it allows me to infuse my love of people, 我对烘焙的热情, and my desire to be a better father into a single bite,Irby说. “我的‘啊哈’时刻, when I really knew I wanted to pursue this with everything I had, 当我的儿子, 梅森, 2019年出生. I wanted to create something that could produce generational wealth and leave him something that he can continue and even pass along if he wanted to.”
The birth of daughter Maya in 2021 offered even more motivation for Irby to continue his entrepreneurial dream. 梅森’s Mixer operates out of Irby’s Kannapolis home, 在他妻子的帮助下, Alexandrea, who is a stay-at-home mother. 梅森 also loves to get in on the baking action when he can.
Although Irby had already established his home-based business while living in Alabama, the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College 小型企业中心 was his go-to resource for help expanding and tapping into the Charlotte market when he relocated to North Carolina about a year ago.
“The 小型企业中心 has been such a great resource for me, 建议我, 推动我, and helping me keep all my ‘T’s crossed and my ‘I’s dotted,Irby说. “I would encourage other entrepreneurs to take advantage of what they offer.”
The 小型企业中心 serves Kannapolis, 康科德, Salisbury and surrounding towns, assisting owners of existing businesses as well as those looking toward a start-up venture. 从免费, confidential business counseling to seminars and webinars, the 小型企业中心 aims to provide business education and relevant, 全面的指导.
Although he still juggles the bakery along with a full-time job, Irby’s goal is to focus solely on cookies eventually. “I hope to continue shipping across the United States and expanding my customer base,” he said. “But I never want to get so big that I have to use an outside company. I want my cookies to have that homemade taste and be crafted by my hands.”
梅森’s Mixer ships fresh cookies every Monday, allowing the rest of the week for Irby to process orders, 储备物资, 当然, 享受充足的家庭时间. The bakery also offers local delivery for a fee, as well as pickup at various locations in Charlotte and surrounding counties.
In addition to the signature chocolate chip, rotating monthly and seasonal flavors include best-sellers such as Birthday Cake and “Baker’s Favorites” such as Lemon White Chocolate. Irby keeps his recipes top secret since he creates many of them himself. Seasonal favorites such as butterscotch pecan, 草莓和奶油, and pecan bourbon chocolate chip often come from the cookie wishes of family, 朋友和客户.
“I ask people what they would love to taste and then start experimenting,Irby说. “I keep a note pad handy, even by my bed, so that when I have an idea, I can write it down.”
Irby developed a passion for baking cookies when he was a child helping in his grandmother’s kitchen, and he wants to continue her legacy by approaching his business sustainably and carefully. He works with local vendors to procure the freshest possible ingredients for both traditional and vegan options, and he gives back through nonprofit projects and community outreach.
最后, he hopes 梅森’s Mixer’s marketing tagline tells the story in six words: “Start with love. 最后留下面包屑.”
For more information about the 小型企业中心, please visit 37w2q.jskjzx.com/sbc.
*Photo credit – Gianna Snell Photography