Pie Bird Pies bakery grows bigger
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Kristen Daily, owner of Pie Bird Pies. Photo: Linh Ta/Axios
For years, pie dough and flour took over Kristen Daily and her wife's Drake neighborhood home as she worked to keep up with the growing demand for her business, Pie Bird Pies.
Why it matters: After years of searching for a larger commercial kitchen, Daily learned that she doesn't "knead" to look any further than her own backyard.
Driving the news: With the help of local grants, Daily built a kitchen behind her home, allowing the popular Pie Bird Pies bakery to expand but also continue operating as a cottage food business.
- And after receiving help from an $11,500 Iowa Department of Agriculture grant, Daily has also purchased a dough sheeter and a second convection oven to help grow into wholesale products.
How it started: Pie Bird Pies started as a COVID-era home business. It's now a frequently sold-out bakery business that's been featured in Midwest Living and specializes in using locally sourced ingredients.
- Daily, who grew up in a family of academics, didn't know much about working in a small business. Though she loved baking, running a baking business seemed like a pipe dream.
- "Honestly, I have therapy to thank," Daily says. "It's just like, 'OK, well, what do you want? And then let's make tiny little steps moving backwards.'"
State of play: For years, she's searched for a commercial space, but they often ended up being either too large, too expensive or too financially risky.
- But Des Moines city code allowed her to build a separate kitchen while remaining zoned as residential.
- She used an Invest DSM commercial grant to help build the space, and now she's applying for a home food processing license, which will let her sell products like pre-rolled frozen pie crusts and pie dough in stores.
The intrigue: Last Thanksgiving, Daily worked 36 hours straight with her part-time staff, taking turns napping.
Now, she's making rhubarb pies, with produce sourced from The Garden Groomer, and sells them for weekly pickups at Storyhouse Bookpub and Des Moines Mercantile.
- Rhubarb will go through June and then she'll head to a local Indianola corn stand to make a blueberry sweet corn pie later this summer.
What's next: Pie Bird Pies is partnering with Wander Women on June 28 for "Pride Pike," which will combine dessert and a hike ($25).
- She's also partnering with Capital City Pride to make cookies for Drag Storytime at Storyhouse Bookpub.
